He harped on the criticality of politics in national life. He said, “Frankly everything is about politics, people want to shy away from it. There is politics in the ministry, there is politics in church, mosque, everywhere. If government says today, that by law, this hotel cannot stand here because this land is going to be used for whatever, by next week it is gone. If the people making the law are not in support of yourself they may write you out of existence, they may write you to jail for life, this is why politics is so important. Doctor Bolaji Akinyemi got it right, when he said the Igbos have not played politics in Lagos State, I want to expand it to say the Igbos have not played politics in Nigeria since 1999.
“One of the founding fathers of PDP, Dr Alex Ekwueme, he played politics, that is why immediately after the Civil War, an Igbo man rose to become the Vice President of this country. And the way things were going, he was close to becoming the President of this country.
“In the last dispensation I must say Atiku disappointed the Igbo community in Lagos, I appealed to him, that we need to talk to Igbo Community, give them assurance that they will be carried along, they will participate in everything we are doing, he didn’t respond, at the end of it, Obi came and swept everything. I couldn’t complain, even then that is not playing politics, you do not put all your eggs in one basket, Igbo do it all the times. The reality is, if Obi had won that election they would not give it to him in this country because of the bias and perception, perception is everything, they will create the impression that it is only the Igbo people who voted for him, which may not be so, therefore to avoid that, look at today, if you look at APC, almost 60% is Yoruba, 30% is Arewa, that is 90%, Igbo people, 10%, it is not right. So you have no power. If you look at NNPP, 90%, Arewa, Igbo is not there, Labour, Igbo is not there, APC, Igbos are not there. ADC that is becoming strong and strong, it is very unlikely that Obi can win the presidential ticket because the way they have orchestrated it, Atiku paid for that party, he bought the party, and when you notice the number of Arewa going into that party, from the North, everyday, they are preparing, that is why Atiku says he is ready for the primary, knowing that if they go into primary, 80% delegates will be for him. So where is the Igbo Community?
“As things are now, the Yoruba people have the president, Arewa people has Atiku, who do the Igbo people have? Tell me. Is it Obi, where is Obi? That is why I am telling you, see, what I am doing is for the benefit of PDP, but simultaneously it is for the benefit of Igbo people,” Dr Pearse stated.
He called on those leaving the party because of one man to return to the party. “You must be empowered, look, how can, some people say because of Wike they won’t come to PDP, somebody is coming to your family house to hold ground there, and you are running away, from your own house, you let this mad man drive you away from your own house it is unheard of.”
He said the advantage PDP has is that it can reabsorb estranged members without requesting for party card. “But this is where PDP has benefit immediately they don’t need to show party card anymore, just come back and say I am back.
Today you see PDP members coming out to support Igbo Community and we moving further.”
