ACPN is Out to Break PDP Monopoly

Prince Tunde Sarumi

— Prince Tunde Sarumi, former PDP chieftain and now Lagos State Chairman of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN
By Olawale Abideen
There is an ongoing peace process to reposition the PDP,particularly in the South West. What is your take on this new move?
There is no amount of peace deal that will reposition the PDP. The party has been marred by its glory. The strength of PDP is also its burden. PDP is a very large party, full of differences. It is a party with conglomeration of different interest groups. Some of the groups are anti-democratic politicians who will never reconcile or forge a common front. That is why we quit and form the ACPN under the leadership of the strongman of Kwara politics, Olusola Saraki.
Are you saying you are not part of the peace mission?
I am a member of the ACPN and currently the Lagos State chairman of the party. Majority of us who felt aggrieved with the cabals in our former Party (PDP) came together to save Nigeria from PDP monopoly. The PDP domination of our nation’s politics is a bad signal to our nascent democracy. We can not progress with one party system. So it is high time we break PDP monopoly and that is the main thrust of our new Party, the ACPN.
The ACPN is relatively new in Nigeria political system which may have been the reason Senator Gbemi Saraki, the ACPN gubernatorial candidate in Kwara state lost to the PDP. How do you think the party can break the the PDP monopoly?
Most of the PDP members are in the ACPN and don’t forget we have some seats in some states Assemblies that is why our party scale through the INEC huddle. We are doing membership drive to become stronger. And in the case of Gbemi Saraki, the legal tussle is still on at the tribunal so let us wait and see the out come of the case. To me, I believe, Gbemi Saraki won the election and her mandate will be restored by the judiciary. The reign of PDP in Kwara is numbered.
Talking about the strength of the ACPN in Lagos state, do you think your party has what it takes to dislodge the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria in the state?
The factor that would give us an edge is there in the ACN. The over bearing control of Tinubu and the tussle that would later split the ACN is enough to render them (ACN) powerless. Our party is not interested in any big men. We have the grassroots drive and it is the masses that matter. Aside from Fashola, there is no good head in Lagos ACN and once he complete his eight years tenure, the ACPN will come in. We have solid structure in eight local governments and plans are on going to spread our tentacles. We’ll put our strength into test in the forthcoming Local government election in the state and obviously we’ll capitalise on the lack of performance by the council chairmen and councillors to seize power.
You mean your party will sponsor candidates for the Council poll in the state?
Yes, interested members of the party have been submitting their nomination form and we’ll soon kick off campaign.
How would you rate Fashola’s regime in the state?
The ACN leadership, despite Fashola bragging of excellence performance is only good in cosmetics and exterior decoration of the state capital and some few prominent areas. Aside from Ikeja, Island, Surulere and Oshodi where else can you point to have benefited from Fashola’s regime.
You talked about cabals in the PDP, what of if you are also called upon to join the reconciliatory move?
I doubt if any reconciliatory move will ever reposition the party hence the monopoly of the PDP in the political system of the country has not yielded real dividend of democracy to the masses. PDP is disintegrated and its fall is already in sight.
You mention Olusola Saraki's name as ACPN leader. Don’t you think it may have negative impact on the new party, given the popular believe that the man has since dominated the political fortune of the state and that he’s even bringing in his children to take over?
Are you saying it is a sin to believe in what your father is doing. The man is a politician and his children too join the train built by their father. Meanwhile dont forget that Saraki is generally accepted by the majority. So, let the minority continue to make noise.