The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has strongly advised the Leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2023 general elections, to respect and honour the agreement reached at the formative stage of the party,
He also said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lacks the strength of taking over from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, come 2023.
Fashola, who while chatting with Newsmen covering the APC Press Corps, in Abuja, on Tuesday, admitted that there is an agreement on zoning, which he said should be honoured.
When asked on the zoning arrangement, the former Lagos State Governor said: “The truth is that what makes an agreement spectacular is the honour in which it is made not whether it is written. If it was written there would be no court cases of breach of contract because it is document that is written and signed that go to court. But the private agreement you make with your brother and sister should not be breached, it must be honoured.”
Though he argued that zoning may not feature in the party’s constitution, he noted however, that the APC Leaders at the formative stage, entered into an agreement which must be honoured.
He added: “All political parties are clubs where you write agreements just like a social club, and we can decide that it is the youngest person who will be the Chairman of the club, or we can decide that it is the oldest person or the next female or the next male, that is the matter of agreement between people.”
On whether the ruling party can still retain its governing status come 2023, Fashola vehemently dismissed the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as no match to the APC, arguing that they will have to think better to unseat the ruling party come 2023.
His words: “Our opposition PDP has to think better than us, in order to defeat us, right now they are not doing that. When it is election time, they should come and meet us.
“Some Governors have joined us, from where we think we could not get voters before. To retain power in 2023, certainly if we keep our promises, people will vote for us. It is that simple, that is politics. If you do what you said you will do even if you don’t do 100 percent and they see that you are making progress, they will even want you to finish somewhat you started.”
He also called for support for the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Committee, CECPC, noting that, the Committee was a product of necessity, following the Leadership crisis that engulfed the party.
“It was a crisis that led us to have a Caretaker Committee, we must respect the Caretaker Committee, let it do its job. Those of us who did not contest party positions, let us focus on our jobs too, and stop getting in each other’s way.
“Let us be ready to support one another, every support that the Caretaker Committee requires, we will provide, if it is within our means to do so. At the end of the day, we are governed by rules.”
