PDP IS FRUSTRATING ME
Hon. David Abel Fuoh is a member of the House of Representatives from Gashaka/Kurmi/Sardauna Federal Constituency under the platform of the PDP. In this interview, the member expressed his grievances against his party. He spoke with Wiliams Ayooso in Abuja.
You were absent at the recent congress of your party, PDP in the state. Now, all we hear is that, you are aggrieved and you have left the party. What is the true position of things?
The leadership of the party in the state is doing all that they could to frustrate me out of the party. The last congress that was conducted, they did not create a free and fair environment allowed me a slot of any candidate, from ward, the local government or state executives. So do I still have a future in that party? No. the mere reason that you give birth to a child is never a satisfactory reason for you to kill the child. I think once you give birth to a child he has equal right to all your children in the house. But here I discovered that I no longer have a decision in the party. Not only that, they called stakeholders meetings in the state without inviting me. So if they call such meetings without inviting me and I don’t have a single candidate in any of the executives, is it not an indirect way of sending me away? Am I still a member of the family? So here is a case of the party pushing me out of the house and not the case of decamping as some people are saying?
You are a brother to Abel Diah, who appears to be having issues with the leadership of the party. Don’t you think it is because of him that they are doing this to you?
Yes, you may involve that as a factor. But ordinarily, even if they are having problem with Hon. Abel, does that stop them from allowing me to exercise my rights and privileges in the party? Does that stop them from inviting me for their meetings? Does that stop them from allowing to participate from congresses? Did the party brought me to frustrate me or exterminate me politically? They should mention a single time they have invited me for stakeholders meeting.
Have you ever complained officially to the party leadership?
We have complained as a group, not I alone, because I’m not the only person that is treated that way. Rimanmde Shawulu is treated like that. Senator Emmanuel Bwacha and others are all treated the same way. So we complained at the national party secretariat. They were asked by the national secretariat to go and address the issue. When they came back to Jalingo, they refused to look at the complaint.
Recently I met with the former State Chairman, Hon Victor Bala Kona at the Airport. He was together with the new chairman of the party, Col. Kefas Agbu rtd. Kona harassed me openly. I greeted them and the former chairman asked me why I was greeting the chairman that I refused to come and vote. I asked him whether I was invited. Even people that fought us in the last election, including Senator Aisha were chattered a flight to go for the congress. Not even a notice was given to some of us. And they expect us to attend the congress because we are afraid of them. They neglected the people that have being suffering for the party at the grassroots or ward level and embraced the structure of APC members, who did not even decamped officially, just because they want people that will not be answerable to us.
Now, are you going to join APC?
Whether APC, APGA or any party, my focus is to deliver dividend of d democracy to the good people of my constituency. The issue of future is in the hands of God. For now, I’m stitching the bruises of the frustration that the party has caused to me. While doing this, I’m taking my time to decide on my next political approach. In taking such a decision, I will carry my people along. You know, I represent the interest of my people and there are certain things I must consult with them before doing. Therefore, the issue of whether I’m joining APC, APGA, or any other political party did not arise for now.
The former chairman of the party, Hon. Bala Kona told us recently in an exclusive interview that without PDP, you would not have won the election, what is your take on that?
No, he was not saying the truth. Election now is not all about political party. The electorates are wise. They go for people and not the party. I contested with a serving member in the state House of Assembly. He has being in the state House of Assembly for three times. If he had been performing the people would not have voted for me. The people knew what I can offer. That is why they have voted for me. Not the party.
But by the way, the mere fact that they gave me a platform to contest is not a guarantee for them to frustrate me and humiliate me out of the party. Where is it written in the constitution of the PDP that when congresses are done, some people who won elections on the platform of the party should not participate? Where is it written in the constitution that though you won an election on the platform of the party, but are not supposed to participate in the activities of the party like congresses, stakeholders meetings and so on. Assuming you gave birth to a child and refused to give him food, will that chat continue to call you his father? Indirectly, you are telling him that he doesn’t belong to the family. Therefore, it is unfair for Hon. Bala Kona to say that I’m ungrateful to the party.
Assuming the new leadership call you for reconciliation, will you oblige them?
Where will they start the reconciliation? Are they going to do another congress? Or I should come back into a house that has been built with the aim of frustrating me? I was in my constituency twice, after the congress. None of the executives in my ward came to greet me, because they have being given instruction not to relate with me. Secondary, in my house in Jalingo, you hardly see some category of people to see me because any civil servant that comes close to me, they sack him. My people are suffering. The people that fought in the last election to ensure that we win all our elections are being frustrated. They refused to give them any appointment on grounds that they are either close to me or Honourable Abel. What kind of frustration is that?
My doors are open for reconciliation just that, I don’t know how they can now right all the wrongs that they have committed. The Ward, local and State congresses have been constituted. It just like inviting you for dinner when there is no food on the table. As it is presently constituted, the PDP structure in Taraba is completely against us.
