National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomole and his predecessor, John Oyegun threw jabs at each other within the week giving reasons why the party lost Imo State and other States in its kitty to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The Oshiomole led National Working Committee, NWC said the party lost Imo and other States during the last general elections because of indiscipline on the part of Chief Oyegun.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa Onilu who spoke to journalists in Abuja, said the same factors that denied the party victory in Imo was the same with other States such as Oyo, Bauchi, Adamawa and Zamfara States which made voters to prefer the PDP than the APC.
Onilu said the NWC led by Oyegun was in short supply of the courage to confront the political despots who could not operate by the rules of the party, stating that the resultant effect was widespread indiscipline across party ranks, lack of respect for party supremacy as witnessed in the 8th National Assembly leadership and its overall inability to align to the interests of the legacy parties that gave birth to the APC in 2014.
He said “Let me agree that the NWC that led the party into the 2015 elections and continued till June 2018 did nothing different from what you would find in PDP. It was a period the party was seen as a mere vehicle to attain political office. The system accommodated impunity as certain members appeared to be superior to the party. Their interests were far more important than the collective interests of the APC, even when most times such interests are at variance with the ideals the party stand for.
“You would recall that it was under that leadership that some impudent members of APC called the bluff of the party by imposing themselves on the National Assembly as leaders contrary to the position of the party. Where was the party? Where was the discipline when this happened? It would be difficult to calculate what lack of courage to assert the party supremacy cost APC over that period.
“The consequences of the inaction of the party were unimaginable. We all saw the consequences on governance as the National assembly practically held our government to ransom. The impunity, which President Muhammadu Buhari has rightly described as lack of patriotism, constituted an unfortunate hindrance to the smooth running of government. “It is not surprising that the current National Working Committee inherited such a huge mess, where the party was struggling to differentiate itself from the delinquent PDP. We all know that PDP was practically dead following the devastating defeat of 2015. The PDP bounced back not because the party has changed its insidious way or did anything different, but because APC did not live up to expectations,” he also said.
He said the next three years are very important as the APC under the leadership of Oshiomhole will continue to strengthen compliance with the rules, build support structures for democracy, ensure discipline, and deliver good governance for the benefits of all Nigerians.
“We expect members who have different agenda to join their kind in PDP. We will welcome with open arms, those who share our progressive ideals, so that by 2022, we will have a party whose members are truly progressives,” the APC spokesman said.
He added that the National Chairman cannot be blamed for the avoidable losses recorded because some stakeholders in the party failed to adhere to the party’s directives and ensure internal democracy.
Oyegun Reacts.
Former National Chairman of the party, John Odigie Oyegun in his response was quoted to accused of Oshiomole of running the most fraudulent primaries in the party, saying the his successor is finding it hard to function without looking for excuses and scape goats.
Oyegun’s Spokesman, Chief Ray Morphy said “Indeed, it is absurd to lose states with all the capacity at the disposal of the current chairman. Party members know that APC witnessed its golden years under the chairmanship of Oyegun and no one can change that bit of political history.
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