“Akande’s outburst, danger signal for APC”

By Daniel Ayantoye
A former presidential candidate of NCP and veteran journalist, Dele Momodu warned that the recent outburst by the former interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande portends a very dangerous signals for the party going into 2019.
Speaking during a channels television programme monitored in Ilorin, Momodu said the reaction was the consequence of the frustration of the Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his camp since the party assumed power despite all his contributions.
According to him, “It is very obvious that the ruling party, APC is in disarray because so many things are happening.
“The cabinet members are fighting and it is obvious that some very senior politicians within the party are dissatisfied with the ways things have gone and that was the reason for the reaction of Akande that the presidency is still an open ticket come 2019.
When asked on the fate of the APC if the party didn’t zone the presidential seat to north, Momodu said “The myth that the north must produce the presidential candidate does not hold water. Politics is about consensus.
“The issue of zoning has not really solved the problem for which allegedly necessitated it in the first place.
“For the party to be relevant, I advised it present young candidate to be able to compete favourably in 2019
Meanwhile, Caretaker chairman of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Markafi has said that his party is ready ahead the 2019 election.
He emphasised that the PDP lost the 2015 election due to their inability to tackle lots of propaganda that was raised against it.
According to him, low communication with the citizen, internal feud that the candidate should have come from the north, issues raised on insecurity among others were factor that led to the PDP losing the seat.
“We wanted the President to return home alive and not just alive but well and fit, we thank God that he has returned home, well and fit. Of course we are ready to compete the 2019 election.
“On the issue of zoning and the declaration of Governor Fayose, the party at the Port Harcourt convention zoned the presidency to the north and the chairmanship to the south. The convention is supreme and the party stands by that.
“Recall when the south east met they re-affirmed that they stand by the decision of the convention and also when the south west met in Ibadan they made their own provision that they are only want chairmanship of the party. So nothing has changed in zoning in the party.