The
call for the removal of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress,
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, has divided the APC’s National Working Committee, it was revealed on
Monday.
Tinubu
had, in a statement on Sunday, accused the national chairman of allegedly
working against the ideals of the APC in the handling of its governorship
primary in Ondo State.
He
had alleged that the National Working Committee of the APC had voted in favour
of a fresh primary in Ondo State but Odigie-Oyegun overruled the NWC and
submitted the name of Rotimi Akeredolu to the Independent National Electoral
Commission as the governorship candidate of the APC.
The
statement added, “If Tinubu is to choose between John (Odigie-) Oyegun and
progress toward a better Nigeria, the choice has already been made. For those
who care about Nigeria and its chance for a better tomorrow, now is the time to
stand against this brewing evil before it grows to encompass all we have built
and all we hold dear.”
It
was gathered in Abuja that members of the NWC, especially those from the
South-West, were backing Tinubu, whom they argued was at the verge of being
disgraced.
Tinubu
is also said to be receiving support from some party chiefs, who were said to
have felt they had been sidelined in the party under Odigie-Oyegun’s
leadership.
A
member of the party’s leadership, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
of the sensitive nature of the issue, said, “I was one of those who cautioned
our chairman about the handling of this Ondo palaver.
“He
(Odigie-Oyegun) was the one who said we should put the recommendations of the
panel to vote, which we did. He asked us to pray but used the opportunity to
leave the hall.
“I
personally think he is dancing to the tune of some individuals around Mr.
President. He should simply step down.”
Asked
to comment on the division within the party’s NWC, he said, “Our last meeting
made that very clear.
“Six
out of the 11 of us present at the meeting voted in favour of a re-run of the
Ondo primary; five voted against. Yet, the choice of five was upheld. Is that
democracy? You tell me.”
Another
member of the NWC said Odigie-Oyegun should not be crucified because he made
“an honest mistake here and there. I think this situation is not yet beyond
redemption.”
In
an interview, another NWC member said, “Let’s be honest, the APC does not belong
to any individual. It is a give and take thing. Tinubu asked for and got the VP
slot; he has members of his political family in the cabinet and even heads of
government agencies. What else does he want?”
A
top source in the APC stated that an emergency National Executive Committee
meeting might be summoned after the Edo State governorship election to iron out
some of the contending issues.
The
Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Mr. Seguin Oni, in response to
enquiries on the issue, said, “Yes, we have issues within the
party but we are resolving them.
“You
must give us some credit. We are a relatively young party with members drawn
from diverse backgrounds. There are bound to be issues but we have the internal
capacity to deal with our issues and we are doing it; be patient.”
The
acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Timi Frank, backed
Tinubu’s call for Odigie-Oyegun’s resignation.
He
said he saw this coming long before now, stressing that many did not take him
seriously.
He
said, “I said there was crisis within the party. At that time, I was alone;
nobody saw what I saw coming. The crisis of this party came up when the issue
of the National Assembly came up; the position of the party leadership against
its own party members, Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, for the party to close
its eyes to the travails of these two men.
“Today,
God has vindicated me after the Ondo primary. A national leader of our party, a
founding father of the party has agreed with my earlier call that Odigie-Oyegun
should resign as National Chairman. I knew from day one that the person that we
have as national chairman could not give what he does not have.
“It
is now clear that (Odigie-) Oyegun cannot take this party to where it is going.
Can we now deny that one of the founding fathers of this party has come out
clear to say Oyegun should resign?’’
Meanwhile,
Odigie-Oyegun has said he will not take issue with Tinubu.
Odigie-Oyegun,
who spoke on Monday in Benin, said Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, was a
respected leader in the party, adding that he would have to consult with other
party leaders before making a statement.
He,
however, said “most” of the allegations in the media report were “not true,”
noting that the party would focus on the September 28 governorship election in
Edo State, which he said was his “priority”.
He
said, “Asiwaju is a well respected leader of our party; so, I cannot be seen
speaking evil against him. I have to consult properly with other leaders of the
party before we make any definite statement. Again, you know we have a crucial
election here in Edo, which is my priority right now.
“We
do not want to lose focus and I know Asiwaju also wants us to win because we
all have worked hard for this. So, maybe, after the election, if there is need,
I will speak. If (there is) no need, I will relax. But all I can say now is
that most of the things said in the papers about me are not true.”
Odigie-Oyegun
stated that he had always believed in internal democracy and the credibility of
primaries, which must be taken seriously.
The
former Edo State governor added, “I believe that if primaries of parties are
not credible, it may derail any democracy. So, I do not play with these
things at all. Everybody knows me and I do not joke with my credibility and I
have tried to maintain it.’’
“But
maybe after Edo election, after we must have emerged victorious, we may speak
on some of the issues raised. So, there is no problem at all.”
It
was learnt that Odigie-Oyegun came under serious pressure on Monday not to
respond to Tinubu’s call on him to resign as the APC national chairman.
The
outburst of Tinubu was said to have confirmed the internal wrangling in the
ruling party.
However,
Odigie-Oyegun, who was said to have been seriously jolted by Tinubu’s
accusation, was said to have been prevailed on by some ministers and governors
from the APC not to respond to Tinubu’s attack.
A
minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity in Abuja, said he, along with
some of his colleagues, had called the party chairman not to speak.
He
said while it was true that the former governor of Lagos State had every reason
to be embittered, allowing the party chairman to respond would further portray
the ruling party as uncoordinated.
The
top party chief stated, “Though it is painful when you are accused of something
and you feel you needed to reply, but we have told him to keep quiet because we
don’t want the opposition and the media to feast on it.
“The
matter is being looked into and I think the leaders of the party, especially
President Muhammadu Buhari, must act fast, otherwise, the party will die under
his Presidency.”
Source: The Punch
Tags
Politics