by Panshak Ibrahim
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State, and erstwhile FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has described the Peoples Democratic Party as a “criminal party”.
According to El-Rufai, the PDP of under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan no longer has respect for the rules and processes, as oppsed to the one he used to belong to. He referred back to his days as FCT minister, where no one was untouchable, regardless of political standing.
El Rufai made the comments during a courtesy visit to the correspondent chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Kaduna on Saturday, December 6, where he stated that the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili and himself were appointed by Obasanjo as “technocrats” and not on the basis of political party membership.
El-Rufai said: “It is a big mistake to say that the PDP of 2003 is the same as the Jonathan’s PDP. The PDP that I was a member had rules and processes. Let me give you one example. As a minister of FCT, I demolished a house belonging to the Chairman of the PDP.”
“Today, no minister of the FCT can touch the house of a member of the PDP National Executive Committee. The PDP in 1999 was not the same as the PDP of today. The PDP of today is a criminal PDP.”
“They have no regard for rules. They say that they are Peoples Democratic Party but they have no regard for the people and democracy. I was minister on the platform of the PDP but I was not a minister because I was in PDP. I was a minister on merit,” he added.
“The minister representing Kaduna State was Nenadi Usman, because the governor of Kaduna as at that time disowned me and said that I did nothing for the party. But Obasanjo told him that ‘whether you like it or not this man is going to be minister because I have a special assignment for him.”
Everyone of you that has ruled in this country irrespective of the capacity is guilty of the travails that Nigerians are wailing over right now. El – Rufai if you are without any sin..CAST THE STONE! Its so disappointing how you people go about lambasting one another while bare few years ago you were people’s prayer point for God to judge. Non is perfect so kindly keep it at that but when you start referring to others like “Lepers”, Oga u fail am b that!