Hon. Hassan Hyet is the Kaduna State PDP chairman. In this interview with ISRAEL BULUS, he speaks on the internal crises in the party and other issues
What are you doing about the internal crisis that has led to the emergence of a PDP group?
That group which calls itself restoration is against the party’s constitution. Nobody can just wake up and form a group that’s not recognised in the constitution of the party. So, what they’re doing is an act of illegality. This is a group that is already in court. If it has gone to court one would expect that as civilised and patriotic citizens, the members would allow the court to adjudicate on their grievances. In any case the party does not allow people to go to court without exhausting the laid down procedures of resolving either real or perceived grievances. As far as we’re concerned what they’re doing is not in accordance with the constitution of the party.
The group alleged that you’re operating illegally because the last congress that produced the ward, local government and state executives of the party, did not adhere to due process. What is your reaction?
That was why they went to court. Unless the court decides whether we’re operating illegally or not. Is it for them to decide that we’re operating illegal?
Why did the party set-up a 70-man Committee?
Is no longer a 70 member committee. It was later expanded to 120 persons to reposition the party. It is a normal process for party activities. We finished an election and there are future elections. As a party, we cannot say that we have everything at 100 percent level, especially when we are an opposition party.
Some members of the party have accused your leadership of not carrying everybody along within the party. What is your reaction?
If people feel they’ve not been carrying along the question is in what way have they not been carrying along? As chairman of the party, I have specific functions as spelt out in the party constitution. The only way you can get the people participate is to setup committees and give out assignment and that’s what we’re doing so that everybody will have that sense of belonging and some of this things are not supposed to be centered at the state level. The basis of politics is at the ward level. Every political heavy weight should have alot of inputs in his ward and then in his local government. What we do here at the state level is coordination.
Some of the party members also alleged that your emergence as chairman was ploy by power brokers to ensure some anointed aspirants win the party’s primaries come 2023 ?
I don’t know who intends to contest an election. As far as I am concerned, nobody has come to tell me he wantsto contest for an election. If you’re opposed to me because you intend to contest for an election it is suprising that you did not tell me you want to contest and even if you’re to contest I am not the one that’s going to give you the votes it is the people and I don’t change votes. The 2018 primary election we was judged one of the best conducted in the history of PDP in Kaduna State and all those that participated said it was free and fair, so, why are they worried now?
Are you jittery that the APC, will absorb most of your members into their party having lost power in the state for six years now?
On the contrary, their exercise is already deemed to fail, if not so, why are they directing civil servants to go and register with APC? Allow people to register base on their conscience and base on their belief. If the APC is doing well they don’t need anybody to go out and campaign for them to be registered people will be rushing. But the contrary is the case here so we’re not jittery at all.
Having alleged that the ruling party is asking civil servant to go and register as APC members, is the PDP going to take any legal action?
By the time this allegation is true, certainly, we’ll condemn it. Even if we didn’t take any legal action, we knowthat that move is not taking them to anywhere and what we see them trying to do is that. They are deceiving people in the villages.
