By James Ogunnaike, ABEOKUTA
The Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the state of promoting individual interests over party ideology, constitutional order and institutional discipline.
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APC described the tendency as retrogressive and incompatible with democratic governance.
The APC made the allegation in a statement issued in response to recent comments credited to the Ogun State Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Abayomi Tella, on the reported feud between Governor Dapo Abiodun and the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
The ruling party described the comments as “profoundly disappointing.”
What PDP said
Recall that the State PDP Chairman in an with newsmen in Abeokuta said the his party is set to gain from the rift between the State Governor Abiodun and Senator Daniel, should either of the two fail to secure the ticket and need a platform to run, positing that the party is open to welcoming either of the gladiators back to the fold, whenever they feel like returning into the party.
He said: “We will begin to look at areas where the PDP can gain from the ongoing rift between Dapo Abiodun and OGD, because Dapo Abiodun may not likely get his senatorial ticket from the APC.
“Maybe this rift will help us in luring Dapo Abiodun back to the PDP so that we can rehabilitate him for him to fit into the ideologies of PDP”.
“If it is OGD that we can lure back into PDP, he is welcome. We will gladly harvest him back into the party because he is already a good breed”.
“It will also be a plus for us to harvest Amosun back into PDP because we know bringing people like OGD, Abiodun, and Amosun into PDP is a big win for the party. The three of them are from this party, but it’s ambition that drove them away”.
“We will begin to work immediately on the rift between Abiodun and OGD to ensure that PDP gains from it. They don’t need to be fighting in APC when they can just come to PDP where they left.”
APC’s reaction
In the statement issued on Tuesday by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Nuberu Adesanya Olufemi, the APC said the interview attributed to the PDP chairman revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of the role and structure of a modern political party.
According to the APC, the comments further exposed what it described as the PDP’s long-standing ideological weakness and lack of internal coherence.
The party argued that the PDP had failed to undertake meaningful self-examination despite what it termed repeated electoral rejections by the people of Ogun State and Nigeria.
It further alleged that the PDP’s political culture was driven more by opportunism than principle, insisting that such an approach was not a viable strategy for governance but rather evidence of a party in decline.
Reacting to criticisms from the opposition, the APC described it as hypocritical for a party with what it called a legacy of poor governance to comment on progressive politics in Ogun State and across the country.
The ruling party accused the PDP of presiding over years marked by corruption, infrastructural neglect and disregard for public welfare, adding that its time in office was remembered for abandoned road projects, declining educational standards and a weakened healthcare system.
It argued that these shortcomings, rather than any ideological strength, defined the PDP’s record in government, noting that voters in Ogun State had repeatedly rejected the party at the polls as a corrective measure.
The APC also pointed to what it described as “persistent internal crises within the PDP at the national level, claiming the opposition party had become a shadow of its former self and was projecting its internal challenges onto others”.
“In contrast, the APC said it remained a party founded on clear ideas, internal democracy and a visionary constitution that guided its policies and actions”.
The party listed resource control, compulsory and universal basic education, and true federalism as core principles underpinning its governance philosophy and the trust it enjoyed among the electorate.
It stressed that while it continued to manage its human capital, it would not compromise party discipline, ideological coherence or its core values in pursuit of what it termed “transient populism.”
The APC maintained that the strength of a political party should be measured by its people-oriented programmes, democratic traditions and ability to resolve internal disputes, rather than merely serving as a platform for contesting elections.
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