Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
A foundation member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, Okelo Madukaife, has lambasted the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, for attacking the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige.
Ajaka, an indigene of Kogi State, had in a press statement last weekend, told Ngige and other federal appointees, to publicly campaign for the APC presidential candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, or tender their resignation.
The deputy spokesman was reacting to comments made last Friday on Channels Television “Politics Today” programme by Ngige who declined to say on air, his choice of presidential candidate between Tinubu and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP).
However, Madukaife, who is the Publicity Secretary of APC in Anambra State, scolded Ajaka for wrongfully interpreting what he called “Socratic” submissions of Ngige in the interview, hence his tirade against their respected party leader.
According to him, Ajaka who until recently served as Personal Assistant (PA) to former Chairman of National Caretaker/Convention Planning Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State and was part of a cabal at the National Secretariat that disrupted peace in nearly all the state chapters of the ruling party.
In the statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Madukaife said the partisan side-issues which came up in the interview were borne of deep experience and Socratic insight of the former Governor and the Anambra State Leader of APC, adding that such family differences call for serious introspection by party hierarchy higher than a mere deputy publicity secretary who appears to have spoken for someone rather than the party.
“Ngige is a statesman and his words in the interview are statesmanlike , hence, a call to duty for the National Working Committee (NWC), National Caucus and National Board of Trustees of our great party, not an occasion or invitation to be bashed by an upstart and any other who do not share Ngige’s historical profile in the making of APC.
“When Senator Ngige said, ‘We have issues, but PDP has double; ours is just a family matter’, and then went ahead to say that ‘ ‘if these issues are addressed, our party will sweep the polls’, he pointed in the direction of hope, in a manner that should make perceptive spokesmen of political parties avoid being hasty to hit the airwaves with hollow pseudo orders.
“ Instead, Ngige’s intervention called for thoughtful reflection and internal dialogue, which no political party seeking to retain national power even needs to be told.
“Does anyone need to remind another that after the primaries, there must be reconciliation, more so, where already, there were issues predating the primaries, which denied some chapters the opportunity of participation?
“How many presidential aspirants are campaigning openly for the presidential candidate of APC at the moment? Is Alhaji Ajaka campaigning openly for the presidential candidate? This is even the first time I heard him , suggesting he was probably prodded to speak for an interest that does not represent the rainbow that the APC is. How many members of the NWC are openly campaigning for the candidate? Ngige is a fearless and forthright leader who has offered the party a good opportunity to look inwards. There are certainly so many others, so cowed to have a voice. I therefore respectfully remind Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, that his needless negative reaction, reading malapropic meaning into plain submissions, as reported by Vanguard Newspapers, possibly his first public statement since selection, is a tirade on our leader who, the last we checked, belonged to all organs of the party and is therefore reachable by multiple avenues.”
Speaking further, Madukaife sadly noted that Ajaka’s vitriolic reaction ignored the feats scored in the nucleus of the interview, including actions taken by the Buhari Government on the disruption in the university system, caused by academic politicians, and the prospects of complete university autonomy by May 29, 2023.
He maintained that instead of looking at the goals that Ngige scored for the government in the interview, Ajaka chose to engage in inexplicable tantrums, capable of causing more disaffection in the party.
Madukaife, while describing the tirade against Ngige as “unacceptable”, demanded an unreserved apology from Ajaka.
He finally requested for swift actions from the NWC, National Executive Committee (NEC) and all other organs connected with addressing the pockets of disquiet in the great party, ahead of 2023 election which Sen. Ngige authoritatively predicted ‘We shall Sweep.’
