National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Sen. Bola Tinubu, on Friday harped on the importance of party discipline even as said his party was a bit careless in 2015.
He said however that party discipline would be upheld in addressing the leadership tussle of the 9th National Assembly.
Tinubu, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos on Friday after a Prayer Programme organised by Islamic and Christian clerics to mark his 67th birthday also stressed the need to for members to respect the party noting that this time around the party would not fail to apply the whip.
He said: “Party discipline is key, we must be disciplined in the party. We were a little careless in 2015. We created the opportunity for serpent to get into our party and that did not allow Nigeria to make the desired progress.
“You have seen the result of it and we are not going to allow that to happen again. We are going to respect our party and we are going to apply the whip.
“It is either you stay with us and you follow us or you leave. You have the freedom to choose but the freedom does not give you as a minority to go and collaborate and take our mandate given to you to another party who was our opposition and who is still our opposition.
“We would not take that this time, no matter who you think you are. That is how it is built. Why do you want to deviate from what has been structured?
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“We look at our reward system equally, zone by zone.”
Tinubu expressed fulfillment with his life as a politician at 67.
“When I joined politics, there were a lot of uncertainties because it was during the military regime. There were lots of struggles but my concern is about people and the future of my country.
“My mother stood by me when I told her then that I was joining politics. She told me to be ready to take all sorts of insults whenever they cross my way. May her soul rest in peace.
“The struggle was tough. It created a justice on June 12 election of MKO and some people deserted the camp, the struggle, the spirit.
“We have stayed with this struggle. We know democracy is not easy but it is the only system of government that we chose.
“Ever since, it has been a very fulfilling journey. There is always the twist and turns in politics.
“Today, we endure, we persevere, we think, adjust, collaborate, merged and became single party just like yesterday,” he said.
