Daily Independent Online.
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Monday, June 21, 2004.
Afolabi’s widow to PDP leaders: You’re ingrates
• PDP enemies are within, says Daniel
By Segun Adeleye
Reporter (Abeokuta)
and Gbenga Faturoti
special
correspondent (Osogbo)
Widow of former
Internal Affairs Minister Beatrice Afolabi at the weekend berated the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), describing it as a bunch of ingrates.
She barred her mind
when the party leadership, led by its Chairman, Audu Ogbeh, paid her a
condolence visit. She expressed disappointment at the treatment meted out to
her husband while he was alive - as well as resentment that the party
bosses have has just found it necessary to pay the family a condolence visit a
month after the bread winner passed on.
Said Mrs. Afolabi:
“My husband worked day and night to ensure that the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) waxed stronger and stronger which eventually gave the
party a total victory but at the end, the party treated him badly.
“It is
disheartening that with the contribution of late Afolabi to the peace and
progress of the party, the leadership of the party is just coming to condole
the family.
“I expected this
condolence visit to have taken place long before now, putting his commitment
and post into consideration.”
Fuming with anger, she
added: “I don’t need to hide my feeling to you at least as a good
Christian, I should be able to tell you the truth. The entire family actually
felt bad over the development and it is unexpected from the
organisation”.
She was particularly
angry with the Chairman of the board of the trustees, Tony Anenih. “Even
you Tony Anenih could you recalled that your relationship with S.M. Afolabi
dated back before the birth of PDP. I am disappointed that you also abandoned
him and the family.
“I am very sure
that the main reason we are seeing you all now is to use Iree as a stop over
for the zonal meeting of the party expected to hold in Abeokuta, Ogun
State”.
Responding, Ogbeh
described the deceased as a great loss to the nation, adding that he was one of
six people who gave up their assignment to campaign for the re-election of
President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He assured her that
PDP will not abandon the family.
In Abeokukta, Ogun
State Governor Gbenga Daniel said the greatest enemy of PDP is within the party
as its internal wranglings have degenerated into violence, particularly in
zones other than the South West.
He called for the
triumph of ideas against "our opponents", emphasised the need to
enthrone temperance and idealism in the party and appealed for all members to
embrace the spirit of sportsmanship.
