Ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party’s May 21 national convention, a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George, has berated the lawmaker representing Ogun-East senatorial district, Senator Buruji Kashamu, for saying the Yoruba people were not interested in the chairmanship position of the party.
It will be recalled that the South-West chapter of the PDP led by Kashamu had last month declared its support for the North to retain the PDP’s national chairmanship position.
Leaders from the zone told the National Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, when they paid him a visit in Abuja that the South-West was not interested in the post.
However, George told our correspondent during an interview on Sunday that Kashamu was not a leader of the party as he held no sensitive position in the PDP.
He, therefore, wondered how Kashamu could speak on behalf of the PDP.
George, who maintained that he had no interest in becoming the chairman of the party, noted that the South-West had never produced the chairman of the PDP since its creation 18 years ago.
He said, “It is disheartening that a Yoruba man could oppose something that could benefit his people. I have been in this party for the last 18 years and the South-West has never produced the national chairman.
“The party has now zoned the presidency to the North. So, how can anyone who calls himself a Yoruba man, insist that the same North should hold the chairmanship position?
“The Yoruba race produced the first chartered accountant in Nigeria, the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the first Chief Justice of the Federation, the first surgeon, the first engineer and many other firsts. So, are they saying no Yoruba man is qualified to be chairman of the PDP?
“Kashamu is not a leader of the party. He holds no position of the party and cannot speak for the South-West.”
George, who is a member of the Board of Trustees, advised Sheriff to step down as the national chairman next month for the sake of fairness.
The PDP chieftain warned that doing otherwise would set the party on a dangerous path.
He said the PDP needed intelligent minds that would steer it in the right direction.
“At this crucial juncture, we need credible, responsive, experienced, resourceful, creative and mature men and women at every level of our party leadership. This is not the time for mere praise singers and time-servers. This is not the time for untested, untried and inexperienced neophytes,” he said.
