Ime Akpan
Barely one week after the deputy chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lawal Shuaibu, asked the national chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole for causing electoral misfortunes for the party in the 2019 elections, a former national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun has accused his successor of lacking the capacity to run a political party.
Speaking through his media aide, Mr. Ray Murphy, Oyegun said Oshiomhole had continued to falter because he (Oshiomhole) lacks the temperament required to lead a political party in the 21st century he degrading and de-marketing the party,
He alleged that much of the crisis in states arose out of sheer incapacity on the part of the current chairman adding that rather than seek to bring in more people on board, “Oshiomhole is rather chasing people out of the party with his style of engagement.”
He further said the APC chairman talks before he reasons and “so he offends party members.”
“That statement of booby traps is ludicrous and infantile, an attempt to drum up justification for the failings of the party under Oshiomhole chairmanship.
“Oshiomhole failed because he lacks the temperament that is required to run a political party.
“He lacks the capacity to manage the different interests and tendencies that constitute a political party. He engages his mouth before engaging his mind, so he offends party members. So, how does that constitute booby traps by Oyegun, the erstwhile chairman?
“Already, the deputy national chairman has confirmed that Oshiomhole runs the party with recourse to the NWC. He acts in direct opposite of decisions taken by national working committee, no minutes of NWC meetings which in any event take place outside the party secretariat.
“How would you not have crisis in states with the confusion that Oshiomhole created when he gave the states freedom to choose their methods of choosing candidates for elections?
“Much of the crisis in states arose out of sheer incapacity on the part of the current chairman. How has this Oshiomhole incapacity become booby traps by Oyegun?
“Many party men were aghast at the unfairness and injustice meted them during the primaries process. Only a bad carpenter quarrels with his tools.
“Indeed, Oshiomhole is degrading and de-marketing the party; rather than seek to bring more people on board, he is rather chasing people out of the party with his agbero style of engagement,” he said.
Similarly, APC advocacy group under the aegis of Rivers Unity House (RUH) called for Oshiomhole’s resignation blaming him for 96 per cent of the challenges faced the ruling party in the 2019 general elections.
The convener of the group, Mr. Kingsley Wali who made the call at a news conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the weekend said if the party insists on understanding or characterising the next level slogan of the APC, “the kind of attitude that Adams Oshiomhole exhibited cannot be in tandem with the President’s vision on Nigeria
“It is a natural thing in politics that whenever there are loses, people have to be held accountable for those loses. There is need to identify the people who made it possible for the party to suffer any kind of loss.
“Just like if the party enjoys a decent measure of victory, it will obviously point out those who made it possible and then, compensate them for making it possible.
“I am one person who has been consistent with the position that Oshiomhole is 96 per cent responsible for the problems APC had. It boils down to nothing but somebody feeling that he knows everything and no other person is smarter than him.
“I think the reasonable thing to do is for APC as a party to ask Adams Oshiomhole to vacate the seat. If we insist on understanding or characterising the next level slogan of APC, the kind of attitude that Adams Oshiomhole exhibited cannot be in tandem with the President’s vision on Nigeria.”
However, the chairman of the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the party, Mr. Ini Okopido in his reaction said Oyegun’s statement was one of the numerous attempts to give the APC chairman a bad name.
Okopido said some elements within the party “who are not happy with the discipline being brought to bear on the party are the ones sponsoring such foul languages against him.”
“As far as the party in the south-south is concerned, Comrade Oshiomhole has done nothing wrong and therefore the party in the zone is prepared to support him to the last,” he said.
