2019: We’ll challenge PDP on issues – Oshiomhole

* says Saraki will be retired politically in February 2019

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has expressed happiness over what he called ‘humiliating defeat’ suffered by Senate President Bukola Saraki and his PDP candidate in last Satutday’s federal constituency bye-election in Kwara state.

Oshiomhole, who fielded questions from journalists shortly after the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting, said Saraki’s defeat meant a lot to the APC.

He said the good people of Kwara State had given ‘a big blow’ to the proclaim leader of the opposition PDP who had led the campaigns to so many other places, stressing that ‘a native doctor who was busy going to other states is now unable to heal his own people.’

“For me even more outstanding is the humiliating defeat Saraki suffered in the hands of Kwara people who are determined to dismantle the Saraki failed attempt to install his own variance of a political culture of which he is the only constant decimal. I think the good people of Kwara state have dealt him a big blow as the proclaimed leader of the opposition PDP.

“We are not going to accept a Nigerian variant where a minority party presides over the affairs of National Assembly whether as dictated by Bukola Saraki and as represented by Yakubu Dogara in the House of Representatives of the PDP because it is not right,” he said.

While reacting to Saraki and PDP’s stand that he should resign from politics, the APC national chairman said Saraki would be retired politically at the February 2019 National Assembly election.

“In his own case, what the people of Kwara have done to him is that they are going to politically bury him come February next year and he has seen the first warning.

“I am sure Saraki would be politically retired by the good people of Kwara that he has mismanaged their economic and political rights over the years. So, I am very excited about that and we think that this is something worth celebrating and we took time to celebrate it today,” he added.

Oshiomhole said the NWC resolved to appeal to all those who were active in the political processes to respect the rights of every Nigerian to belong to the party of their choice, adding that issues should be emphasised as the elections approached.

“If you are going to create 10 millon jobs, how come that when you were in government before and you produce a seed document where you promised to create 7 million jobs, by the time when that government was out, we had lost Micheline, Dunlop closed down, entire textiles industries closed down, we witnessed unprecedented industrial obituary. Factories were closing one after the other.

“So, these are the issues we really want to engage. It is going to be a very interesting season for the media. They have to play back what people are saying and to compare to what they did when they have the opportunities.

“So, I think that there will be more to keep us busy rather than to resort to primitive tactics of arm twisting, harassing and using thugs to intimidate state leaders of our party,” Oshiomhole said.