A former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Hon. Moshood Salvador, yesterday, added a new twist to the clamour for restructuring by the South-West geopolitical zone, calling it a scam.
Besides, he said the restructuring agenda being sold to the South-West by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was a mere bait to deceive the people of the region.
Salvador who is now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) spoke with newsmen ahead of Saturday’s rally by Conscience Forum.
Daily Trust reports that the PDP candidate had vowed to, if elected in the 2019 elections, carry out restructuring which has been the main agitation by majority of Yoruba leaders especially the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere.
On the basis of Atiku’s pledge, he had secured the endorsement of some Yoruba leaders ahead of the 2019 elections.
But Salvador who is the Director-General of the Presidential Support Committee (PSC), Buhari/Osinbajo 2019 in Lagos, stressed that the promise of restructuring by Atiku was a mere gimmick, saying even if he was elected, the PDP candidate cannot carry out any form of restructuring.
“It is not in the power of Atiku to implement restructuring. He can only lie to use it to get votes. What he is trying to do is after voting for him, before six months, he would now say, ‘It is not possible for him to conduct a referendum because the National Assembly members are not ready to dissolve themselves’.
“He knows it is not possible but he is just saying it; that is part of the lies politicians are known for,” he said.
He also scolded some Yoruba elders making case for restructuring in the region, saying the timing of their call was suspect.
“What I can say by the restructuring that PDP is shouting about is that restructuring is a scam for the South-West. They know restructuring is the agenda of the South and they know the only way they can get it is to ask all these old men to come out and talk about it.
“I will ask the old men what they have been doing since. The one that joined politics at the age of 27 is now over 90. Why have they not been able to have restructuring and it is when they are 90 plus, that they think they can come with such restructuring?”
According to him, to have any form of restructuring, it would entail the abolishment of the National Assembly which might not happen.
Besides, he further observed, if a referendum was to be conducted to have restructuring, the South does not have the numerical strength to have its way going by the register of voters.
But in a swift reaction, spokesman of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, reiterated the group’s pledge to support any presidential candidate with restructuring agenda.
He said contrary to Salvador’s insinuation, Afenifere had been crying about restructuring since Obasanjo’s days as president, wondering whether the former PDP chairman was living in another planet.
