Chief Taiwo Kuye is a member of the South-West Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee. In this interview with ANAYO EZUGWU, he speaks on the state of the PDP in Lagos and crisis in the zone, among others
You are a chieftain of the PDP in Lagos State and it was reported recently that the party in the state suspended the chairman. What is the update about that development?
Lagos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not had it so bad but who is the black sheep? It is the state chairman. This is someone that came in through the backdoor to become the chairman, this is the same man that still has a court case hanging on his neck that the judgment could probably come up on February 15.. Even at that, he was hanging to the noose even when we agreed to work together.
So, do you think that such a person can manage PDP of today? The answer is no. You have a court case hanging on your neck, so many petitions hanging on your neck, yet you did not even look back to tell the teeming members of the party that you will change, let us come together and do the job. No, instead of that he has broken Lagos PDP into two factions, which we have never had before for a state chairman to come forward and engage the leadership of the party that outside Lagos I belong somewhere, it is not done. But the secretary is in-charge and all other members of the working committee are there they are all incharge.
That was why we came together, I was there as a representative of party at the South-West, we came together and say look it is better we send this man packing, if not, this party will not be able to stand, come 2023. So that was exactly what brought about his suspension.
With the current problems in the party, do you think that PDP in Lagos will be ready for general elections in the state in 2023?
It is the administration of the PDP that is in trouble, the masses are ready for us. When you talk about general elections in Lagos, we have been winning right from 1999 to date. The All Progressives Congress (APC) from Action Congress (AC) to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), have not been winning a successful election in Lagos. We have been contesting election in Lagos with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies. That aside, we will defeat APC anytime any day, what are their factors, nothing? So we have the masses but we don’t have INEC, police and army but we have God and the people. And 2023 is not going to be an exception because that is the last straw of APC in Lagos State.
What do you make of the crisis in southwest PDP between Governor Makinde and Fayose?
I don’t think that there is crisis in southwest. The only enemy of the party in the southwest as of today is Ayo Fayose. Even you yourself you know the game Ayo Fayose is playing as far as this current politics is concerned. Today, he will tell you that he is a friend to Tinubu, tomorrow he will say he is a friend to Buhari, the next day he will lambast Buhari, all these are games. You are a PDP member, a former governor on the platform of PDP and you are telling Nigerians or southwest people that you will fight anybody that abuses Tinubu, a PDP man? What do you say about a person like that? There is no loyalty anymore.
So he is one of the chieftains of the fifth columnists in this party. Even back to his state, in Ekiti State and the southwest, as of today constitutionally the leader of the party in the southwest is Governor Seyi Makinde. So there is no two way to it.
He is only fighting a war that he can never dream of win. Seyi Makinde with his posture that everybody knows is a gentleman. Which day have you seen Seyi Makinde in a contest or argument with Fayose. He is a pure gentleman. But Fayose is playing a very dirty game in PDP and exposing, displaying endless political rascality. And we will not allow that. We have checkmated it and I can tell you as far as we are concerned there are no crisis in PDP southwest because I will tell you it is where the governor and PDP zonal chairman in southwest belong is the party, constitutionally.
What actually happened at the meeting between Governor Wike and southwest leaders?
The true story from that meeting is that the meeting itself was called at the instance of Ayo Fayose. Fayose went to Port Harcourt to beg Wike because they are very close that he should intervene in the crisis in southwest. Wike answered him, you and Makinde are my friends, don’t worry. Then Wike invited Makinde and the Oyo governor was even surprised to meet Fayose at Wike’s place but he expended his maturity and sat down, they talked it over and agreed that now that we both are ready to work together let there be a meeting at Ibadan so that we can come over for everybody to see in the clear face of the populace that the crisis in the southwest has vanished. Can you imagine that the man that went to beg for the meeting didn’t even appear at the meeting? So, you can relate when I said he is a dirty jobber. It doesn’t concern anybody because in the first place the meeting was at his instance. So, we are not moved. We are doing everything possible to see that there is congress because we want to see how they are going to fare at the congress.
Is Fayose still a leader in South- West PDP?
He is a leader because he is a former governor. He is only trying to give himself another name that is not acquainted with political leadership. He is a leader but he is not putting the shoe that deserves that leadership. That is why everybody knows him as someone that does dirty jobs always. Can you please ask Fayose if anybody can talk to Fayose and say we want to do this or that, he will call the damn of everybody including the big leaders and elders in the zone. He does not even respect anybody. And this gentleman that just came and trying to put everything in order to put everybody across on a peace pact, each time the guy moves, he will go and talk another thing. Makinde was in Ondo, he did the same thing.
Do you agree with Fayose that party elders like Chief Bode George should retire from active politics?
How old is Buhari now, 78 years, Bode George is just 75 years so many other leaders like that. And Fayose about two weeks ago said he is 60 years, is he not old? It is Fayose that will now come and tell the founding fathers of this party to quit. Fayose joined this party in 2006. Where have you ever heard that kind of dirty statement that somebody is older then he should retire from politics?
You are talking about Bode George, Bode George that had been a governor when you were even in primary school. So, he is just a master of player of dirty politics and stupid rascality. Why do parties have a board of trustees? All these elders he is referring to are members of this board of trustees. They are purely directly in-charge of the party. They are the trustees. If anything go wrong they are the ones that would rise up and say exco take it this way and do it this way.
Your party at the national has been saying that it will return to power in 2023 and Governor Wike is one of those championing the move, how do you think your party will do it?
When Wike speaks you should understand that PDP is speaking. He is the voice of the party as we speak today. I don’t want to miss words, he is. He has been spending for the party. In fact out of the governors we have he is the most outspoken governor that dares everybody including the president. Let me lend that support for Wike that come 2023 APC would be flush out of governance.
How is your party going to do it?
We have the people. We have God. But our strategy remains where it is. So we won’t tell you now.