Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in this interview, speaks on the abduction and rescue of the Kankara schoolboys, insecurity, zoning and alleged crisis in the PDP. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI brings the excerpts:

The APC has faulted the position of your party on last week’s rescue of the Kankara schoolboys. They said you ought to have commended the President for his efforts in the quick release of the boys instead of criticising him. How will you respond to that?

Whoever made that statement must be hallucinating. It is clear that it was as a result of the failure of the Buhari administration, particularly on the issue of security that has brought our nation to this sorry state. Don’t forget that security of the country is one of the three cardinal programmes of the Buhari administration and in 2019 during the campaign; he promised to take it to the next level. The PDP as well as other eminent Nigerians, including the National Assembly have been telling Mr. President that he should rejig the security architecture by replacing the Service Chiefs. Rather than listen the voice of the people whom he promised to defend, he bluntly refused to listen to the voice of wisdom.
What happened in Kankara was not the first time students in their large numbers will be kidnapped under the Buhari administration. It happened in Dapchi and now just two days after the Kankara boys were rescued, another kidnapping has also taken place in Katsina. Don’t forget that the President is presently on vacation in Katsina where these two kidnappings took place.

We are talking of a President who promised to lead the battle against insurgents from the front. We are talking of a President who has had the opportunity of leading our nation as a military Head of State; a president who retired from military service as General but today, he has brought our nation to her knees before bandits, insurgents and terrorists. So, it is surprising why anybody will condemn the PDP for not praising his efforts in rescuing the boys. Which efforts are they talking about? For us in the PDP, the abduction shouldn’t have taken place in the first instance. We consider that assertion as mere hallucination and we have no cause to sing President Buhari’s praises for plunging Nigeria into this sorry state.

The APC also claimed that President Buhari handled the Kankara abduction well than how the PDP under former President Goodluck Jonathan handled the Chibok girls abduction saga. Do you agree with that claim?

What yardstick did they use to arrive at their conclusion that President Buhari handled the Kankara abduction well? When the Kankara abduction happened, President Buhari refused to show empathy to the victims while they were taken away by the bandits. He refused to also empathize with the families of the pupils. The parents of the abducted students who went to the school to demand the release of their children were tear-gassed. Is that the good response they are talking about? Or was it the response of the Commander-in-Chief coming out to tell Nigerians that they had to negotiate with certain groups to go and intervene when we have the military and other security agencies whose responsibility is to assist the President in protecting us? It is needless talking about the failure of this administration as well as the failure of APC as the ruling party. It is manifestly clear to all Nigerians, even to the leaders and members of APC but they are too ashamed to admit it. So, when they said the President responded better to the Kankara issue, they should tell us the manner with which he responded. It is surprising why a government that has been in power for almost six years will keep comparing itself to the PDP. Let’s assume that the PDP even made a mistake is that not why Nigerians voted for the APC when they promised to do things better? Were they not promising Nigerians ‘Change’? But where did Nigerians find themselves today in terms of infrastructure, social welfare, education, security and so on? The country has seriously retrogressed under the APC and President Buhari.

Garba Shehu, President Buhari’s spokesman at the weekend apologised for misleading Nigerians that only 10 of the Kankara school boys were kidnapped. Has your party accepted his apology?

As a party we feel sorry for Mallam Garba Shehu. We pity him because he has found himself in an environment where there is no cohesion, where facts don’t add up and where government appointees and spokesmen thrive on hearsay without verifying information at their disposal. That was why Shehu on many occasions speaks from the position of error.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has been making some scathing remarks about the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) and there has been reports that the PDP governors want Prince Uche Secondus, the national chairman out. What is the true position of things?

Whatever Governor Wike has said pertains to the situation in our family as a political party and it will be resolved amicably as a united family.

How true is the claim that your party has already zoned the 2023 Presidential ticket to the North especially the claims by Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi who has defected to the APC?

Our party has not made any statement on zoning because the various organs of our party have not come to a decision in respect of which zone will produce the presidential candidate. That is why we have not said anything concerning zoning. I don’t want to talk about Governor Umahi because everything that needed to be said concerning his defection to the APC and his statements about PDP are already in public domain. But I want to assure you that at the appropriate time, our party will sit down and the various organs will agree on where to zone the presidential ticket to.

Having failed to honour the demands by the National Assembly to sack the Service Chiefs and honour the summon by the House of Reps, what steps do you think the National Assembly can take against President Buhari?

I believe the National Assembly knows what to do. Nigerians have asked them to impeach President Buhari and they have all the powers to do that. They are to serve as a check to what the Executive arm of government is doing. There is no need for any guidance outside the rules of the National Assembly on what they should do concerning the present circumstances in which they have found themselves. The action of Mr. President against the national assembly, particularly against the House of Reps constitute gross misconduct because they invited him to the hallowed chambers on what his government is doing to stem the tide of insecurity in the country. He promised them he is going to come and the Speaker of the House also gave Nigerians the assurances that he will honour the invitation. But what happened? A day to the meeting, the President reneged on his promises and failed to show up. That shows contempt for the National Assembly and it is gross misconduct which the constitution provides for as a ground for the impeachment of Mr. President. So, it is left for the House of Representatives to decide on what they want to do; but they should also know that Nigerians are watching.

Do you think the PDP has what it takes to dislodge the APC in the 2023 presidential election?

It is only the PDP that understands the nuances of our country. It is the only party that is truly representational and has the interest of Nigerians at heart. As such, the party that understands this country and can govern this country effectively is the PDP. Having experienced both parties, Nigerians have seen the clear-cut difference and will take a decision in the 2023 general elections.
https://www.independent.ng/president-buhari-has-committed-impeachable-offence-ologbondiyan/

Yes but who will bell the cat? Definitely, not this rubber stamp National Assembly

No doubts about that

but Kola Olongbo saying this is coming from the wrong channel

Why can't reporters seek opinion of average Nigerians who have an understanding of how this thing works ?

can you tell me how Nigerians will end kidnapping and terrorism when Police is beefing Nigerians , they not coming out their stations , Army loves shooting harmless protesters and the clowns at the top just want gazzilions in their foriegn accounts


oh and it's illegal to own a gun and protect yourself


So how ?

1BigDesign:
Impeachable offence or not, all I know is that the Nigerian problem is made in Nigeria,by Nigerians, and for Nigerians.

And the solution lies within us

What about all the talks from average Nigerians that Service Chiefs be replaced? Did the president listen

GMBuhari:
No doubts about that

but Kola Olongbo saying this is coming from the wrong channel

Why can't reporters seek opinion of average Nigerians who have an understanding of how this thing works ?

hisexcellency34:
What about all the talks from average Nigerians that Service Chiefs be replaced? Did the president listen

Na person wey get ears dey listen.

No he didn't , i was just replying to another guy who said nigerian problem is Nigerian made and can be solved by Nigerians, we can shout , cry protest and do everything legally to piss this government off , but it seems baba's hearing problem has returned, a sensible president would have replaced all his service chiefs since the very first time Boko haram struck during his administration

The moment Endsars protest led to shooting of people by Police, i mean the fact that the police is so corrupt raiding , arresting extorting and murdering Nigerians is enough for a serious president to to fire the IGP , if you don't replace those people who apparently care about returns more than the passion for what they do , then you should be mutherfucking erased or removed

To serve and protect but they are forcing nigerians to serve their greedy needs and they've become the danger nigerians need to be protected from

hisexcellency34:
What about all the talks from average Nigerians that Service Chiefs be replaced? Did the president listen

you want the same police people roasted during Endsars to protect you

GMBuhari:
can you tell me how Nigerians will end kidnapping and terrorism when Police is beefing Nigerians , they not coming out their stations , Army loves shooting harmless protesters and the clowns at the top just want gazzilions in their foriegn accounts


oh and it's illegal to own a gun and protect yourself


So how ?

yes but it's a pity we don't have lawmakers with ballz to impeach him

like this one

PopSmoke:
yes but it's a pity we don't have lawmakers with ballz to impeach him

Nigeria will never get better no be curse

nairavsdollars:
like this one

that fool doesn't deserve his ballz
imagine kneeling for a lifeless vegetable

he never believe he can be minority leader talkless of deputy senate president

PopSmoke:


that fool doesn't deserve his ballz

imagine kneeling for a kifelyles vegetable

Pray for your country. God bless America

PopSmoke:
Nigeria will never get better no be curse

KOLA is the worst and incompetent pdp spokesman since 1999

Let him continue