“So, let me reinstate, we remain committed and I have said so from the word go in my acceptance speech when I was elected that we acknowledge the fact that there are people with genuine complains. For such people, we are ready to listen... However, on principle, I do not deal with political mercenaries, that remains my position. I will not miss my sleep because a lot of these guys cannot on a good day deliver their unit."
Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says most of the people who want to leave the ruling party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot deliver their units.
Oshiomhole said this on Monday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the APC remains committed to dialoguing with aggrieved members, but he would not lose sleep over those bent on defecting, as no honourable man would return to their vomit, the PDP.
“You have seen me. Do I look like I’m losing sleep?” he asked reporters.
“No, I am not losing sleep. I am sleeping very well. I still maintain that I don’t see any man of honour, who with his eyes open left PDP on the account of their gross mismanagement, abuse of the treasury and all of the crime that the PDP committed, I don’t see them whatever their irritations.
“That cannot be a justification to return a house that all we need to do is to play back their own tape about what PDP represents and why they left.
“I still hold the view that you can’t vomit in the morning and convert it to lunch in the afternoon if you have honour. And that position still remains the same. Number two is that yes, I have made this point clear that we can distinguish the mercenaries from those who genuinely have complaints.”
He said the business of party leaders is to try and manage, listen and find solutions to those who have verifiable complaints, however, there isn’t much he can do about those who are “permanent mercenaries and are in this business for personal reasons”.
“We are not going to change the core values of the party in order to retain them,” he said.
“So, let me reinstate, we remain committed and I have said so from the word go in my acceptance speech when I was elected that we acknowledge the fact that there are people with genuine complains. For such people, we are ready to listen. We are ready to act on the basis of justice, fairness, no arrogance and inclusion. I remain committed to those.
“However, on principle, I do not deal with political mercenaries, that remains my position. I will not miss my sleep because a lot of these guys cannot on a good day deliver their unit. And we have the records that tell us who won elections and where. And I am a tested fighter, I fought them in Edo from zero, zero and I overcame their most powerful godfathers. So, I know what I am talking about, I speak from experience and I will talk, negotiate and persuade but there are core principles that are not negotiable.”