Being the interview granted by Chairman of PDP Lagos state chapter, Hon Moshood Adegoke Salvador, on Wednesday 13th of December 2017. On the popular show Strictly Politics anchored by Mr Segun Adebowale from Love world plus.
Anchor: First and foremost let me congratulate you for the successful convention you had in Abuja.
Hon Salvador: Thanks
Anchor: Now that the convention has come and gone are we going to see a vibrant opposition by your party, PDP.
Hon Salvador: Certainly, immediately after every convention there is always a committee that is setup to reach out to the aggrieved members of the party and after the committee finished with their job, then we are good to go.
Anchor: Sir I believe the reconciliation committee is headed by the Governor of Bayelsa state his excellency Seriake Dickson, did you know if the committee has approach southwest,
Hon Salvador: Definitely, they will come to southwest but as i speak they have started working.
Anchor: The reason why am asking this question is particularly about the seven (7) aspirants from southwest and only two (2) from south-south and in the long run Prince Uche Secondus eventually won. What happened, when someone like Chief Ebenezer Babatope felt like it was the time of southwest to produced National chairman of the party.
Hon Salvador: Yes I agree with Chief Ebenezer Babatope, truly it was our turn to produced the number one citizen of the party, in fact I have many points to back it, statistically no zone should have contested that position with us in southwest, but how prepared are we in southwest, when we know the right person for the position, we all in southwest knows the quality of Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, we know his strength and his antecedent in the party. Then you see people coming from different state vying for same position. How many people came out from the south-south, did you heard anyone came out from the southeast, why seven (7) people coming from southwest alone. Definitely you've divided your votes before election day. That is what those people saw and they capitalized on it.
Anchor: There was series of meeting trying to prune down the number of the aspirant yet nothing was achieved.
Hon Salvador: Yes! Series of meeting was held to prune down the number of aspirant, I personally went to all the states in southwest advising them to let bring down the number to one (1) but they refused. They are the one that made us to loose the the chairmanship position. Because from the campaign of Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George you yourself can see that he remains the most serious aspirant yet, the leadership of the party from southwest failed to agree on one (1) candidate.
Anchor: But sir, don't you think Chief Olabode George is an elder of the party, he should have probably left the chairmanship race for younger element.
Hon Salvador: Why do you think we don't need the experience of Chief Olabode George. How old is him that you are saying is an elder of the party.
Anchor: Is he not an elder of the party.
Hon Salvador: I am also an elder of the party, am also a leader of the party. Let me tell you; elder is not by age but experience, so we are not talking of age here, we are talking of quality and the experience of Chief Olabode George. Tell me how old is the President of Nigeria.
Anchor: What do you wish the newly elected National Chairman of PDP.
Hon Salvador: We wish him best of luck, we are going to give him the needed support because he can't do it all alone and by the grace of God he will succeed.
Anchor: Was there a unity list at the convention.
Hon Salvador: Unity list? I don't know anything like unity list. I don't even know the definition of unity list.
Anchor: Someone said that there was a unity list at the convention where names of those that should be voted for has been compiled.
Hon Salvador: Who signed that list.
Anchor: That is why am asking you.
Hon Salvador: I didn't see any list.
Anchor: Two (2) out of the contestants Prof Tunde Adeniran and High Chief Raymond Dokpesi said there was systematic rigging at the convention and some people are also saying that the convention promoted loud corruption.
Hon Salvador: I don't know what they mean by systematic rigging and loud corruption, it can only be explained better by the two them.
Anchor: Sir the convention has come and gone what should we expect from PDP.
Hon Salvador: You can have convention for show of strength but the one we had was to show to the entire world that we have a new PDP, at the convention we are able to show the whole world that we have a perfect, efficient and organized PDP, that people should have confidence in us. Especially those that have left the party, we have to show them that we have revamped the party and the era of impunity has gone, that the house is very good for them to come back.
Anchor: Some of the people that has returned to the party, one of them is the former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who also spoke at the PDP convention, what do you think of his returning back to the party because he said "I am back to my home"
Hon Salvador: That is the best word for him to use "I am back to my home" Alhaji Atiku Abubakar happened to be one of the architect that designed PDP, he happened to be one the builders that built PDP, he was among those that painted PDP and to cap it all, Atiku is among the owners of PDP. There is no way you leave your home and be a tenant in somewhere else and be comfortable one day you will be ejected. So what the former vice president did was to show APC that he was at APC managing a single room apartment giving to him and he has decided to go back to his duplex apartment. He is welcome to the party, we are celebrating it because he needed to be celebrated so that others that are still having doubt if they will be accepted, will have the confidence of coming back to the party. Therefore, I am using this medium to call on those that left the PDP for one reason or the other to come back home, your apartment is still vacant, we refused to put anyone there, in fact it has been repainted and you will all be celebrated when you are back to PDP your real home. If we can kill cow for former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, definitely we will kill camel when others joined.
Anchor: Sir what are you doing to mobilized into the party.
Hon Salvador: Our doors are opened for everyone, I am even expecting Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call me and tell me that he wants to join PDP and I will go to his ward, sit down with his ward chairman to welcome him to our rejuvenated PDP.
Anchor: Asiwaju too will be expecting you to join him in APC.
Hon Salvador: Senator Bola Tinubu knows that there is nothing for him in APC.
Anchor: Why do say so.
Hon Salvador: Leave that between me and Asiwaju, he is a very good politician and a passionate leader, he should come to where he will be appreciated and celebrated.
Anchor: Sir 2019 is around the corner, do you think Nigeria will vote for your party PDP.
Hon Salvador: I can assure you majority of Nigerian will not vote for APC. When PDP was in power people have food on their tables but now reverse is the case. In the last regime, former minister of finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala recommended the green program where they were empowering fresh graduates, they started with 100 people from each state and the second set was 500 people from each state of the federation and they provided the needed equipment for them, you can see the result on the economy been turned around in the Jonathan administration.
Anchor: Sir it is widely accepted that we have monumental corruption during PDP administration for 16 years
Hon Salvador: Monumental corruption is a blackmail. When APC was campaigning, they told you people that they will jail all PDP members who have stolen the country money. Now they are in power how many people they have been able to put in jail. They accused many people of stealing, they took them to court and court set them free, are they still thief. If the government of APC is serious in fighting corruption let them catch someone, prosecute him/her, if they are guilty jail them but if they fail to do that, then they are the real thief.
Anchor: Thank you sir for granting us this opportunity to interview you.
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Hon Salvador: its a pleasure.
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