Main REASON Why PDP Is Still Afraid Of Card Reader

Hon Abayomi Abdul-Kabir Ayeola is a member of
the House of Representatives representing
Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency on the
platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). In
this interview, he expresses assurance that his
party will win the presidency. He also speaks on
issues relating to the forthcoming elections
among other things.
PDP members have accused your party of
defacing their billboards and posters?
READ ALSO: APC Raising False Alarms To Throw
Country In Chaos – PDP
It’s all lies. They are the one defacing our posters
particularly in Ibeju-Lekki constituency 11, they
destroyed my posters but I instructed my people not
to touch theirs.
What is your reaction on the use of the card
reader?
The card reader machine is the best that can happen
to this country. It is only those who are afraid of the
elections that are kicking against it. This is an era
where individual vote must count. We are advocates
of the card readers. Instead of the ruling party to be
advocating for card reader, they are kicking against
it.
Let it be on record that PDP has not won any
election on merit in this country. It is always through
rigging and now they can no longer continue their
deeds.
I am happy that INEC came up with such technology.
The day the card reader was tested, I listened to
commentary all over the country and I was
impressed. The minimum period that an individual
spent was 10 seconds which means that six people
will vote in one minute.
But this same card reader does not recognize
thumbprint of some individuals?
The secret of that is that there are some elements in
some individual’s body, such that, it will be difficult
for the card reader to detect the thumb. But, those
are exceptional cases, it might be one out of 10
people. It is an individual problem not machine
fault.
There are also worrisome expression that people
might be disenfranchised if they are unable to
get their PVCs as there are allegations that INEC
officers are no longer coming to the centres?
That is totally untrue. Originally, there was a
stipulated period for accessing these PVCs and
some people have collected theirs.
Although, some data that were wrongly captured,
while some persons might have traveled abroad,
some might have died and some students might
have relocated to their states, all these are genuine
cases.
While, some persons decided not to collect their
PVCs at the time it was slated.
But, I am optimistic that people will get their PVCs
before the elections date. But, for those who
genuinely will not get theirs, I am sure INEC would
work out modalities. Don’t forget that there was
multiple registrations during the first registration
exercise, now that is no longer an issue.
Yearnings of Nigerians
PDP are only putting up propaganda not to allow
elections hold because it is glaring that they have
lost the elections. They are going to loss because
they have not satisfied the yearnings of Nigerians.
Why is the chamber of the House of
Representatives almost always rowdy?
Before now, some people were imposing their
ideology on others because PDP was dominating the
House, today, APC is in the majority.
The recent uproar in the House was due to the fact
that the matured speaker, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal
was not on seat and by the constitution, his deputy
took over. The motion that day was that the card
reader must be used. But because of the game plan
of PDP. They kicked against it. The Deputy Speaker
also insulted the minority leader and we walked out
on him.
READ ALSO: Tinubu Gives His Thought On Use Of
Card Readers
But, we came in immediately. There are many ways
to tender one’s grievances. We are not Jesus Christ
who will turn his other ear to be slapped. We were
provoked and we cannot pretend.
The INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, has insisted
on the use of card readers for the forthcoming
elections to ensure free and fair polls.

EMAIL
The Kaduna state governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero,
has reportedly called for the splitting of the 19
Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) into
three zones.
Kaduna state governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero
Speaking at an interactive session with some civil
society organisations (CSOs) during a dinner in
Kaduna, Yero revealed that he and his two other
governors in the region had already started
discussing the need for the split.
READ ALSO: Governor Jang Says Democracy Is For
The Rich
He said the forum should be shared in accordance
with the three geopolitical zones in the North, the
North-west, North-east and North-central, because
they all have different peculiarities and
developmental needs, This Day reports.
Yero said: “We must tell ourselves the truth, myself,
Yobe State Governor and one other governor had in
the last northern governors’ meeting held in Kaduna
come up with this idea that the meeting should be
divided into North-west, North-east and North-
central. This is because these three areas have
different peculiarities; the peculiarity in the North-
west is different from the peculiarities in the North-
east, so also the peculiarities in the North-central
are different from the other two zones.”
The governor insisted that the splitting of the NSGF
would bring effective control and management of
the entire northern region where all the three zones
would gather their resources and direct them to a
central pool in the North.
“The governors in the South-east and South-west
have such meetings, and they are progressing
because they have a common peculiarity in their
respective zones,” he said.
Yero, who is seeking re-election in the April
governorship election on the platform of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regretted that
northerners had destroyed themselves politically,
economically and educationally because they had
failed to invest in the region.
“We northerners have completely destroyed
ourselves; we have missed the road to investment,
and South-west, having been in control of education
over the years, the same South west is gradually
taking over the political power that the north used to
control. This is because the people of South west are
highly educated, but in the north, our boys are
roaming the streets, smoking Indian hemp and
taking drugs, without minding to go to school,” Yero
said.
He also stated that northern leaders over
exaggerate the legacies of the late Premier of the
North, Sir Ahmadu Bello, without doing anything to
show their contribution to the development of the
north.
“Our elders continue to talk of Sarduana, Sir
Ahmadu Bello, without putting something on the
ground to build on the development Sardauna had
left behind many years ago. None of them want to
invest in the North because they don’t want people
to know that they have money. Many of the
Sardauna’s legacies had gone comatose, look at New
Nigerian Newspaper, northern governors don’t want
to invest in it because it is not situated in their
states,” he said.
The governor, responding to questions on the
Kaduna master plan, said the places designed for
residential and commercial purposes were distorted
over the years.
“If the Kaduna master plan will be followed, a lot of
houses will have to give way, however, we are
already visiting the master plan and something will
be done,” Yero said.
READ ALSO: PDP Is Not Afraid Of Card Readers –
Namadi Sambo
The governor further revealed that for over 40
years, people had not been paying ground rent, and
that the state government is considering re-
certification in order to make sure ground rent is
paid.
Kaduna, which is a PDP state, was under heavy
security on Wednesday with over 800 personnel
deployed to protect Nigeria’s first lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan, during her North-West PDP
women’s rally in the state.
As part of his desperation to make sure he delivers
Kaduna state in the March 28 presidential
election, Vice President Namadi Sambo’s special
meeting with governor Yero and the heads of
security agencies in the state was said to be a
rigging plot after the conversation was translated
into English.

Yeye people

Ojo esin ti su dede.