The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has appealed to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to place President Muhammadu Buhari and the party first in his decision making.
This followed the crisis that trailed last Sunday’s governorship primaries of the party in many states.
The gubernatorial primaries of APC suffered setbacks in states like Enugu, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom, where one person reportedly lost his life.
Speaking with journalists in Enugu on Monday, Okechukwu, an ardent supporter of President Buhari cautioned that if Oshimhole takes decisions without considering the peculiarities in each state, “we will lose the momentum we are gathering in South East.”
The VON DG said Oshimhole must put the interest of President Buhari first or else the momentum they were gathering for him in the South East would be dampened.
Okechukwu reiterated his position that the “South East would be a shoreline for President Buhari to cover what may be lost in North Central and South-West, now that nobody knows who would be the presidential candidate of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
The APC chieftain and leading aspirant for Enugu West senatorial seat, said the National Chairman was not taking the President into account and that he was acting without due consultation with the National Working Committee.
He particularly frowned at the cancellation of the gubernatorial primaries of APC in Enugu State when the exercise had gone midway.
Okechukwu noted that the National Working Committee (NWC) published the mode for conducting primaries in various states and approved indirect primaries for Enugu State.
According to him, “APC has a constitution and the same congress that produced the party executives in Enugu State from the ward, local government and produced Oshimhole and other national officers of the party.
“So, if Oshimhole finds that the election of executive in Enugu State is faulty, then his own election is also faulty. If Oshimhole sets up a panel headed by Professor Moses Momoh to conduct the governorship primaries in Enugu State and the man took pains to do accreditation and get people to start voting, only for him to call and direct that the exercise should be cancelled, I wonder what would happen to the massive support that the President has garnered here including people like former Governors, Jim Nwobodo and Sullivan Chime, Emperor Baywood Ibe and numerous others.
“When Oshimhole called, he asked if Osita Okechukwu was there. I said I was there. He asked if Juliet Ibekaku was there. I said she is not a governorship aspirant. She is not even a delegate. We must put Mr. President first before other pawns in the chessboard. With our massive support for Mr. President, Comrade should consider other variables,” Okechukwu said.
He insisted that “the faction of the party being supported by Mrs. Ibekaku and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, lost out during the party congresses and instead of aligning with the mainstream are busy trying to destroy the President’s massive support in Enugu State.”
Okechukwu noted that people like Jim Nwobodo, Sullivan Chime and Emperor Baywood Ibe were not vying for any position or looking for any favour from the party, and yet they give all their time and resources towards uplifting APC and Mr. President in Enugu State.
“Buhari has the most critical infrastructure on ground. Nobody can stop him. Oshimhole is a brilliant man. He is very devoted, but we have only one king, Mr. President. Mr. President should come first,” Okechukwu said.
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