A one-time governor of the old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, has picked holes with the decision by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to boycott the on-going National Conference, saying the conference, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, will provide solutions to many of the nation’s woes.
While supporting the clamor for the decision of the conference to be subjected to a referendum, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain urged Nigerians to continue to support the programmes of the Jonathan administration which, according to him, will take the nation to the Promised Land.
The elder statesman spoke in Benin, the Edo State capital yesterday, after a meeting with members of his group, geared at working towards the realization of Jonathan’s second term ambition.
However, it was learnt that members of Ogbemudia’s group are only keen about re-electing Jonathan but are not bothered about the fate of the PDP in Edo State.
Some of them said they were unhappy with the style of the leadership of the party in the state, which they said was not geared towards winning elections in the state.
Ogbemudia, who spoke to newsmen after the meeting, said, “I think that APC fears are misplaced, they should send somebody to the confab and with their own mandate and, if they are defeated, they will know they were defeated, if they win, then they have won and their matter will be before a referendum, but not sending somebody there is not being helpful to Nigerians who, after 100 years, are looking for a new mandate to continue the relationship”.
He went on: “My view is that the decision of the conference should go for referendum. After the people have approved, the National Assembly will merely turn it into law. We had one during Obasanjo’s time. I don’t know what happened to it; if we are not careful, this may go the same way”.
