Former Ogun state governor GBENGA Daniel, says he possessed the capacity to lead the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and reposition it so that the party provide the leadership the country needs.
He affirmed he has the skill and capacity to reposition the PDP and lead it to victory and govern Nigeria if elected as the party national chairman.
Daniel, who gave the assurance during a roundtable discussion with members of the Guild Of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP, at Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos, said what is needed is to reboot the PDP into power in 2019.
To achieve the goal, he said he possessed the skill, capacity and experience to return the party to national prominence in 2019 if elected as the chairman of the party.
He pointed out that the chairmanship position of the party in a situation where it is not in control of central government should not be made to compensate some group of people, but it should be seen as a situation that calls for work.
According to him, the potential national chairman of the PDP will be putting himself out to be scrutinised, to be harassed and to be dealt with because the party is not in power at the national level. Besides, he said the chairman would be taking over a party that at the lowest ebb for repackaging, reprogramming, re-strategising and re-orientation and as such it would need a hardworking and experienced person like him as the chairman.
Daniel, who assured the party fateful that he has the necessary qualities to achieve the required goals, which may be lacking in other candidates. He said: “At the lowest level, I removed the government in power in 2003 in Ogun. I did it successfully without any bloodshed. I have also run elections successfully in various levels. Apart from Ogun State, in 2010 to 2011, I coordinated the presidential election in the South-West.
“I also happen to be a two term governor that has networked for several years. In this process, the experience I gained from the network as a governor is very important. I have a lot of network experience which I have acquired in the course of being a governor and doing my business. When you begin to take the aggregate of all these together you will actually come to the conclusion that I have the capacity to do it. But not only that, I am a pioneer. I have always been a pioneer in my life. I am a pioneer in hostile environment.
“I left a lucrative and well paying job and came to start Kresta Laurel… When I started Kresta Laurel, I was the Secretary, the technician and the Managing Director, among others. I have been able to grow Kresta Laurel today that it is probably operating in about eight major cities in the country with over 600 workers. Come rain or shine we are still paying salaries. I think I have that capacity.”
The former governor observed that virtually all the candidates contesting for the chairmanship position of the PDP are eminently qualified, admitting that they equally have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Nevertheless, Daniel disclosed that he would start his campaign tour across the country on Wednesday, November 1, and it would be for the entire month of November. He said: “I think that the work has to be done by the delegates is to painstakingly look at the position of the party today. As I said earlier on, if the party were to be in power at the federal government, probably any kind of chairman can do the work. But now that the party is not in power it is quite a different case.”
He lamented that Nigerians complain every now and then that things are not working well and when it is time to make a change they refuse to make a change that will make things better, stressing that when things become worse they began to gnash their teeth.
Taking a swipe on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, the former Ogun State governor said Nigerians are bitter over the poor administration of the present government.
He said: “In the course of my consultation, I have gone round the country and discovered that all the strata of all those I met are unhappy. Wealthy people who suppose to be member of the status quo are not happy. The biggest factors are the commoners, the talakawas and those in IDP camp. They are saying that there is no food on the table. When you look at the various strata, everybody is not happy. This government is just lucky because of the level of sophistication now. It does not get to this level before you have other kind of intervention.
“What is the exchange rate of the Naira today compare to when he got there? Has corruption been reduced? As people who are educated, we need to ask ourselves all this questions intelligently and then try to back it up with statistics. Has corruption reduced? I am not so sure. Has security improved? I am not so sure. Has road infrastructure improved? I am not so sure. Has anything differently been done in the railway transport system? I am not so sure. We are all in the position to say beyond the rhetoric what are the facts? And based on those facts, we can begin to make our choice.”