Former governor of Kwara State and one of the leaders of the break-away “new PDP,” Senator Bukola Saraki, yesterday insisted that there were fundamentals which his group would not compromise in the ongoing negotiation to resolve the crisis within the ruling party. Saraki, who made this position known while fielding questions from newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State, said his group would insist on the entrenchment of the principle of “fairness and equity” in the affairs of the party. The senator, who said he was in Ilorin to brief his followers on development within the party, dismissed claims by any group to the leadership of the party in the state, pointing out that it would be impossible for any politician to use “the tactics of 1999” to handle the political strategy of 2013. “My assurance to all my people since I came for these series of meetings with the various levels of leadership, is that negotiations are still going on but we won’t compromise some fundamentals; we won’t compromise on fairness and equity. And what the people are telling me is that they are with me wherever we go.” Politics is all about people, how many people are with you; not a matter of nomenclature or press statements. “You can see all the members of the House of Assembly, the CWC of the party, the executive of local governments are here with me. “The politics of 2013 is different from that of 1999. What could be done then cannot be done now. Now you have to fight for the confidence of the people. “Also, yesterday, the senator’s media office expressed concern over the withdrawal of security personnel attached to the former governor, pointing out that the development was a breach of the law and could only be linked with the crisis within the PDP. A statement signed for the senator by Bamikole Omishore reads in part: “Yesterday, the Inspector General of Police directed the immediate withdrawal of security personnel detailed to the former governor of Kwara State and current Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bukola Saraki.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 08:18:46 +0000