Olu Samuel, Lokoja

Senator who represented Kogi East from 1999 to 2023 Chief Alex Kadiri has said that it will be a tregedy if his party, All Progressive Congress, APC wins the November 11 Governoship election.

Chief Alex Kadiri in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on phone on Saturday also expressed dusaffection with the way his party, APC is being run both in his home state, Kogi and at the national level.

He said that the party has done nothing to deserve Fielding a candidate for the forthcoming election.

“The thing that pained my heart is that my party is fielding a candidate to succeed Yahaya Bello. I think it will be a tragedy if my Party wins the election on the 11th of this Month. What have we done to justify being reelected? What we have is bloodshed, shooting, killings left right and center and all the security are just looking and nobody has been arrested or apprehended. No gun has been retrieved or recovered”.

“Before they used to shoot in the night but nowthey shoot in broad day light, nobody is apprehended, people are dying and we want to say we have won election on that platform and you ask people to go to the Tribunal, which tribunal? I think this party is taking Nigerians for granted too much” the elderstatesman said

He said that the party had left out vast majority of those who started the party from the scheme of things soon after the 2015 victory that brought in President Muhammadu Buhari even up to the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Chief Alex Kadiri said that all his efforts to make his party see reasons why things should be done differently have fell on deaf ears of party leaders.

“As a foundation member of the party,I have the right to complain about the way the party is being run, I have done that through the civil methods by complaining to the party twice and the party has set up two different reconcilliation committees to look at our case and up till the time I am talking to you, the party has not written me or called me to inform me that my complaints were not genuine, neither did they say they have taken action about the coplaints because things are getting from Bad to worst!” The elderstatesman said.

He said that his party was taking Nigerians for granted by not carrying them along in decision making such as the choice Ganduje as the Chairman.

“I was not part of the process that picked Ganduje as the new chairman but as a member of the party i think we are taking Nigerians for granted, that we can do anything and get away with it.

If Abdullahi Adamu must be removed can’t we get somebidy else with clean record to lead the party, a national party of the size of APC? Ibeleve that Ganduje is the wrong person and I have said it times without number, they said they were going to expel me but uptil now they have not done that. I don’t know what they are waiting for because as long as I am a member of the party and I see things that are wrong and I keep quiet God will not forgive me at my age.” He said.

Chief Kadiri also frowned at the cost of living with the price of food out of the reach of average Nigerian worker.

“Look at the cost of living, a bag of rice is now N62, 000. What is the salary of a civil servant with wife and four children? How can he cope? I go to Garki also twice a week and I look at the faces I see there coming to work and going back home in a week is almost half of the salary they get in the hospital. So they kept grumbling everyday because the money is not just enough to take them to and from work in 30 days, not to talk about school fees, medical attention. Where are we going in this country”.

“It is unfair, we have not conquered Nigeria, Nigerians are being treated like conquered people. Unfortunately…