APC will regret supporting the card reader

Former journalist and now politician, Senator
Smart Adeyemi, PDP Kogi West in this interview
reviews developments in the polity in the days
leading to the elections. Excerpts:
Is it really true that the PDP is afraid of this
general election?
I think that cannot be true for a government that
is in power to be afraid of elections. But I think
the opponents must have something to say in
order to get the attention of the electorates. But
be that as it may, those are part of the
propaganda and blackmail of the aggrieved
former members of the PDP who constitute
themselves into a political party now called the
APC.
I hold the strong view that Nigerians are now
more convinced, more than ever before of the fact
that the PDP is actually ready for elections. If I
may ask, where is the APC now? After the
postponement, they’ve gone underground, they are
confused, they are in disarray; they lack focus
now. They have exhausted all their manipulations
and propaganda to the point that they have
nothing to say about the ruling party any longer.
On the other hand, the PDP is forging ahead more
than ever before. Nigerians are starting to
appreciate all the achievements recorded so far,
the transformation agenda of this administration
which cuts across virtually all the sectors and I
hold the view that come the 28th of March, the
PDP is going to win not just the presidential
election but we are going to have majority
members of the National Assembly.
This is going to be so because as I speak to you
today, the opposition has nothing to offer. As a
matter of fact, they are stuck already. They are
off the radar. So you think the APC cannot fight
corruption?
The APC is not in a position to even fight
corruption. In fact, if you are looking for corrupt
people, you should go to APC. How can you give
what you don’t have or how can you take away
what you are living with?
If you tell me that PDP is bad party, that is your
own perception, but I will tell you that APC is
even worse than PDP.
If you want to give us the performance rating of
President Jonathan compared to other civilian
governments before him what would be the
score?
I stand here and I stand to be quoted that I do
not know of any civilian administration that you
can compare his achievements in the area of
infrastructural facilities, in the area of social
amenities, in the area of expanding and
galvanizing socio-economic activities than
Goodluck Jonathan. Yes, I agree with you equally
that there has not been any President that had
the misfortune of fighting the worst war any
administration will fight.
Goodluck Jonathan fought the worst war. In fact,
Goodluck Jonathan should be crowned as a Field
Marshall of Nigeria. If there is any Field Marshall
that should be appreciated in Nigeria, it’s
Goodluck Jonathan because he fought the worst
war, that is fighting insurgency and suicide
bombers.
Is the PDP afraid of Card Readers?
The card reader will work against the APC than
the PDP. The card reader will be an advantage to
the PDP because the PDP has not been involved
in the manipulation of card readers. The PDP is
not cloning PVCs; PDP has not been involved in
the purchase of cards. PDP has not been involved
in asking a particular tribe not to be given cards
in some States.
It’s the APC that are doing that and they will be
shocked that they will not be able to use those
cards. It’s the APC that is acquiring cards
through backdoors believing that they will use
them. So, if the card reader will be used for the
reason that Jega has told us, it is welcomed. The
card reader will reveal a lot of fraudulent acts of
the opposition. The PDP has not really bothered
about doing anything under the table to win the
election because there is just no reason for it.
It’s the opposition – those who are desperate in
APC. The desperadoes they are the people who
are involved. The APC has realized that the card
reader, more than ever before will come to affect
them. Now, they are coming to realize that. Has
any of the security agents arrested officials of
PDP for cloning cards? Have we forgotten so
soon that in some States, trucks were arrested
carrying PVC cards? They were States of APC.
It’s not PDP State. We will see what will happen
to them because they will be so ashamed of
themselves.
They will be drenched in such manner that to
come out will be a problem for them. (Ojo Esin
APC ti fe ro)When people are making noise and
when people come together, you ask for what
purpose? If your coming together is not for good,
you will fail. The coming together of APC, all
those you see in APC, they came together out of
grievances and selfish interests. As from 30th of
March, they will start decamping back to PDP.
They will come back home. These are people who
are just out to champion their business cause. Let
nobody deceive you.
Of all the politicians you see, less than 25 percent
of them are committed to the wellbeing of the
people. Many of them are in politics because they
want to protect their business empire. Many of
them are in politics because they have scores to
settle. Many of them are in politics because they
feel that is the way to save themselves from
certain atrocities committed in times past.
Many of them are in politics because they
assume that is the short cut to expanding their
financial empire and consolidating. So, when you
see people gather and they are shouting, their
shouting is meant to safeguard them from years
of accumulation of our common wealth. Some
people have sat down on it. Let them come out
with manipulations of propaganda.
How many PDP leadership are involved in media
propaganda? How many PDP people own media
houses in Nigeria? Those who have shares in
powerful media organizations are APC members
and they are using it to full advantage. But that
will not win elections because Nigerian people will
stand and vote and you will see what is going to
happen on March 28th. APC will suffer
unprecedented defeat. In fact, great will be the
fall of APC on March 28.