Mr
Femi Fani-Kayode has debunked claims that hate campaign by some members
of PDP Presidential Campaign Orgnaisation caused its loss at the March
28 presidential election.
Fani-kayode, who served as Director of Media and Publicity of the organisation, spoke with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
He
said President Goodluck Jonathan would have lost the presidential
election by at least 10 million votes but for the intervention of his
campaign team.
He was reacting to recent accusation by
the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) that the electoral misfortune
that hit the party after the 2015 elections was due to hate campaigns by
the party`s campaign organisation.
He described most
members of the NWC as ignorant of party campaigns, adding that the
campaign organisation “stood up for the party, fought for the President
and did not betray the cause.”Fani-kayode, who described some members of
the party`s NWC as “enemy within us”, alleged that two members of the
committee were working for the opposition in the course of the election.
While
calling for the resignation of the NWC, Fani-Kayode defended the media
strategy used by the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation.
He also exonerated the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Gov. Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State of blame in the loss of the party.
Fani-kayode
contended that while Jonathan was constantly under serious hostile
pressure during the campaigns, the First Lady encouraged the
organisation and inspired its members more than anyone else.
“I
do not want to rock the boat out of respect for our President and our
party elders; otherwise I would say a lot more that will shock the
nation and the party faithful.
“I have a whole file on
it which we compiled during the campaign. Two members of the NWC
specifically were actually working for the APC and were on their
payroll’’, he said.
Their job, he added, was to
destroy the PDP fortunes, expose its secrets, create discord in its
ranks and undermine the efforts of the campaign organisation in the
media campaign.
“That is just one shocker and there are plenty more. The time to talk is not now. That time will come.
“You will be shocked by what we know about these people and their sordid efforts to stop Jonathan and betray their own party.
“The
truth is that the NWC has to go and I add my voice to that of Govs.
Aliyu Babaginda, Sule Lamido, Ayodele Fayose and that of so many other
people’’, he said.
He added that there was need for a change at the top if the PDP was serious about forging party unity.
“This is critical to restoring its fortunes, redeeming it and winning the election in 2019.’’
Fani-Kayode, who described the APC media machine as awesome,
maintained that for the first time since the establishment of APC, they
were put on the defensive by the PDP presidential campaign organisation.
He,
however, added that the PDP “must remain free of acrimony, united and
focused”, stressing that they must “throw out the bad eggs in the NWC.
“In
order to survive over the next four years as a party, we must make the
necessary changes at the top; otherwise we will be utterly decimated.
“The present leadership of the party, particularly its information
organ, has no chance of standing against an APC Federal Government
because they are weak and lack understanding and courage.
“They
will be savaged beyond belief and torn apart if they try it because
they do not have the stomach, the grit, the appetite or the wherewithal
for a long drawn fight’’, he said.
He held that
instead of preparing to defend the party faithful and fortunes of its
members over the next four years, they were making allegations and
alienating many party leaders.