A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has fired back at the current chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Oyegun, in a statement on Tuesday, accused Oshiomhole of looking for scapegoats rather than focusing on his personal failings as the serving party chairman.
Oyegun was reacting to an earlier statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, which described the leadership of ex-National Chairman as a replica of the undisciplined and iniquitous style of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In the statement signed by Ray Morphy, Public Affairs Adviser to Chief Odigie-Oyegun, the immediate past APC Chairman said his era was the golden era of the party.
“Oshiomhole should not destroy what others had laboured to build. If he needs tutorial on how to run a party, he should ask for it civilly. John Oyegun will be more than happy to help.
“The Oshiomhole Executive is about a year in office, why does he find it hard to function without looking for excuses and scape goats? It is common knowledge that Oshiomhole ran the most fraudulent primaries in the history of politics in Nigeria.
“Recall that INEC said so when it adjudged Oshiomhole primaries as the worst so far. The courts are saying the same thing today by upturning many APC primaries for being undemocratic and less than fair. Was it Oyegun who ran the primaries?
“Odigie-Oyegun is an accomplished technocrat, a super permanent secretary, a former Governor, a man without blemish working with others, cobbled together creditably the legacy parties, and held them together with tact, diplomacy and finesse until Oshiomhole came along. To his credit, Oyegun did not lose one member of the party.
“As an elder, as a leader, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun will not join issues with those who apparently are casting about looking for excuses for their inability to manage a ruling party successfully. Indeed it is absurd to lose states with all the capacity at the disposal of the current Chair.
“Party members know that APC witnessed its golden years under the chairmanship of Oyegun and no one can change that bit of political history.
“By the way, the vote increase to Mr President is a reflection of the confidence the people repose in the President despite the fumbles of the Oshiomhole sole administratorship of the party!
“It will be recalled that Chief John Odigie-Oyegun just received The Zik award for Political Leadership alongside John Mahama, the former President of Ghana. In the award citation, he was extolled for exemplary political leadership of APC.
“Posterity has already given its verdict, Oyegun led the party to resounding victory.
“Oshiomhole should not destroy what others had laboured to build. If he needs tutorial on how to run a party, he should ask for it civilly. John Oyegun will be more than happy to help, after all, no man would like to see his son scatter what he had laboured to build,” the former APC chairman said.
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