With just few hours to the commencement of campaigns for the 2023 general election, another crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the appointment of Senator Dino Melaye and Dr. Daniel Bwala as spokespersons by the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for the presidential campaigns.
Both Melaye and Bwala were former chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) before their defection to the PDP. While Melaye, who represented Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly joined the PDP in 2018, Bwala, a legal expert, joined the party in July 2022, a week before his appointment by Atiku.
Credible sources in the party informed Daily Independent that their appointments is causing disquiet in the PDP as many chieftains of the party were upset as to why Atiku ignored loyal members of the party for APC decampees who have made derogatory remarks about the PDP before now.
They alleged that both Melaye and Bwala, aside lacking the necessary skills and tact required from spokespersons at the highest level of presidential election, the duo have also made disparaging remarks about the PDP in the past which they are struggling to correct now.
According to a leader of the party, having realised his mistake, Atiku earlier this month appointed the Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, as one of his spokesmen for the 2023 presidential campaign, a move some of them still faulted.
“Of course, it is not only the battle with Wike that Atiku is dealing with, he also has scores to settle with many other chieftains of the party who are embittered over the choice of other appointments he has made so far. The man doesn’t make consultations before making his appointments.
“How do you explain a situation where we have many loyal, die-hard PDP supporters who are media gurus yet Atiku chose to appoint former APC members who have no media experience as spokespersons?
“Look at the great job the likes of Segun Sowunmi, Kassim Afegbua, Umar Sani, Kola Ologbondiyan, Buba Galadima did during the 2019 presidential election. They gave the APC and President Buhari’s media aides a good run for their money and today, many people still believe that Atiku won the election".
A serious governorship candidate will not appoint a Dino Melaye as spokesman because many Nigerians see him as a clown or jester who shouldn’t be taken seriously. A man who was telling Nigerians that God forbid PDP returning to power again. How can he now turn around to market the same PDP to them? That is the person Atiku appointed as presidential campaign spokesperson”.
“Look at Bwala that was rooting for Tinubu to win APC presidential primary few weeks ago. That was why he accidentally said he is confident that PDP will not win the 2023 presidential election because that was what he has been saying when he was in APC. Both of them are square pegs in round holes because the job of a spokesman goes beyond granting interviews and making noise on social media”.
Also speaking, another member of Atiku’s team in the 2019 election, who does not want his name in print, alleged that both Melaye and Bwala have frosty relationship and there is no synergy in the media team.
“There is no synergy between them at all. Bwala, Melaye and Debo Ologunagba, the PDP National Publicity Secretary are working at cross purposes. That is why the likes of Segun Sowunmi has stayed quiet from them. Imagine Bwala and Melaye are given letters whereby they were placed on N1 million monthly salary. That is very ridiculous”.
When contacted, Bwala denied reports of a frosty relationship with Melaye, whom he described as a “very good man”.
He also denied receiving N1 million monthly salary from the PDP presidential candidate.
“I don’t have any frosty relationship with Melaye. We chatted yesterday and even today. When I was in APC and Melaye was in PDP, we used to bump heads together, maybe they expect that to happen now that we are both in the same party but it will never happen".
“Besides, our presidential candidate, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, has the right to appoint whoever he prefers as spokespersons for his campaign. In the 2019, he appointed five people, now he appointed three. He has a right to rejig his team. They said you can’t keep doing the same thing all over again and expect a different result.
“Yes, we came from APC but we are not sidelining or displacing anybody in PDP. The presidential campaign is about to start. Everybody will have a role to play in securing victory for our party”, he said.
Both Melaye and Bwala were former chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) before their defection to the PDP. While Melaye, who represented Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly joined the PDP in 2018, Bwala, a legal expert, joined the party in July 2022, a week before his appointment by Atiku.
Credible sources in the party informed Daily Independent that their appointments is causing disquiet in the PDP as many chieftains of the party were upset as to why Atiku ignored loyal members of the party for APC decampees who have made derogatory remarks about the PDP before now.
They alleged that both Melaye and Bwala, aside lacking the necessary skills and tact required from spokespersons at the highest level of presidential election, the duo have also made disparaging remarks about the PDP in the past which they are struggling to correct now.
According to a leader of the party, having realised his mistake, Atiku earlier this month appointed the Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, as one of his spokesmen for the 2023 presidential campaign, a move some of them still faulted.
“Of course, it is not only the battle with Wike that Atiku is dealing with, he also has scores to settle with many other chieftains of the party who are embittered over the choice of other appointments he has made so far. The man doesn’t make consultations before making his appointments.
“How do you explain a situation where we have many loyal, die-hard PDP supporters who are media gurus yet Atiku chose to appoint former APC members who have no media experience as spokespersons?
“Look at the great job the likes of Segun Sowunmi, Kassim Afegbua, Umar Sani, Kola Ologbondiyan, Buba Galadima did during the 2019 presidential election. They gave the APC and President Buhari’s media aides a good run for their money and today, many people still believe that Atiku won the election".
A serious governorship candidate will not appoint a Dino Melaye as spokesman because many Nigerians see him as a clown or jester who shouldn’t be taken seriously. A man who was telling Nigerians that God forbid PDP returning to power again. How can he now turn around to market the same PDP to them? That is the person Atiku appointed as presidential campaign spokesperson”.
“Look at Bwala that was rooting for Tinubu to win APC presidential primary few weeks ago. That was why he accidentally said he is confident that PDP will not win the 2023 presidential election because that was what he has been saying when he was in APC. Both of them are square pegs in round holes because the job of a spokesman goes beyond granting interviews and making noise on social media”.
Also speaking, another member of Atiku’s team in the 2019 election, who does not want his name in print, alleged that both Melaye and Bwala have frosty relationship and there is no synergy in the media team.
“There is no synergy between them at all. Bwala, Melaye and Debo Ologunagba, the PDP National Publicity Secretary are working at cross purposes. That is why the likes of Segun Sowunmi has stayed quiet from them. Imagine Bwala and Melaye are given letters whereby they were placed on N1 million monthly salary. That is very ridiculous”.
When contacted, Bwala denied reports of a frosty relationship with Melaye, whom he described as a “very good man”.
He also denied receiving N1 million monthly salary from the PDP presidential candidate.
“I don’t have any frosty relationship with Melaye. We chatted yesterday and even today. When I was in APC and Melaye was in PDP, we used to bump heads together, maybe they expect that to happen now that we are both in the same party but it will never happen".
“Besides, our presidential candidate, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, has the right to appoint whoever he prefers as spokespersons for his campaign. In the 2019, he appointed five people, now he appointed three. He has a right to rejig his team. They said you can’t keep doing the same thing all over again and expect a different result.
“Yes, we came from APC but we are not sidelining or displacing anybody in PDP. The presidential campaign is about to start. Everybody will have a role to play in securing victory for our party”, he said.
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