‘Join APC Before PDP Dies’ – Vice President Osinbajo

‘Join APC Before PDP Dies’ – Vice President Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday told members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) before the main opposition party dies.

Speaking at a dinner to mark the 80th birthday celebration of former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, the vice president jokingly said: “It was time for my friends in the PDP to cross over to the APC.”

The dinner was attended by APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, who led members of the National Working Committee (NWC); governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano).

Also there were former governors Chris Ngige, Ogbonnaya Onu, Rotimi Amaechi, Chukwuemeka Eziefe, Segun Osoba and the Catholic Bishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, among others, TheNation writes.

Osinbajo recounted a story of an American Republican senator who told his bewildered family on his dying bed that he wanted to cross over to the Democrat before dying.

He said: “Let me tell a story of politician who was a long time life Republican politician in the United States (U.S.).  He was lying down on a sick bed and was about to die, he said, ‘I want to change my party, I want to become a Democrat so that tomorrow it will be announced that a Democrat died not a Republican’.

“You can see that we politicians very faithful and very loyal indeed. I can only ask our friends in PDP also to ensure that they cross over before they die! It is time for them to cross over.”

He described Chief Odigie-Oyegun as a loyal party man, an excellent role model and leader who has always been his own man, charting his own course.

“People like Chief Oyegun have shown that politicians can be loyal and distinguished men and women and it makes us proud to belong to this company of credible human beings. Despite what people say, we are often more loyal than some other people,” he said.

The celebrant said his wish is to see a Nigeria where merit would be used in the placement of individuals in positions, stressing that there was no part of the country where there are no qualified persons to be saddled with various jobs.

Odigie-Oyegun also called for a reward system for those who distinguished themselves in the service of the nation, stressing that while punishing those who threatened the nation either through corruption or others means, those who served meritoriously should be rewarded.