The void created by the ministerial appointment of Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday pitched the party’s chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun against the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank.
While Oyegun held that the mantle has fallen on him and the National Secretary of the party, Mai Buni, Frank insisted that the constitution of the party authorizes him to succeed his former principal, Lai Mohammed who has now become the Minister of Information and Culture.
Oyegun made his point when newsmen pressed him to state categorically who now speaks for the party. This happened while he hosted a press briefing on the state of the party and other contemporary issues in the polity. The journalists said, even since Mohammed left the position, they had encountered difficulties when trying to make enquiries from the party.
Responding to this, Oyegun stated that it was either himself or the national secretary that had the right to officially speak for the party, adding that “It was a great loss of Lai Mohammed to the Executive but he’s still within the system. He was truly very special and unique but as we speak, the National Secretary of the party has largely on temporary basis taking up the job of communication to the press and myself (as the Chairman) is always available to any enquiry.
“I will start by saying who does not speak for the party, the person you are talking about does not speak for the party. Secondly, if there are any issues that need clarification for now, pending when we have a substantive publicity secretary, the national secretary will do so for the party and also when I speak, I speak for the party. It is as simple as that”.
But Frank, who immediately called another press conference after that of the national chairman, insisted that he was the National publicity secretary under Acting capacity, and that outside of him, any other person in the party issuing statement was doing so under personal capacity.
“Our party constitution is very clear, anybody that does not understand the party constitution within the party or anybody that is still thinking who is the acting spokesperson or acting spokesperson.
“Today I am the spokesperson of the party, I’m the acting spokesperson of the party I can tell you without fear or favour that when the substantive person in the office of the national chairman or the national secretary or anybody that is not there, the deputy takes over automatically.
“This is the principle of the party constitution we have this also existing today in the PDP, you could see that when Muazu was not there Secondus today is acting for the party, so there is no difference, Lai Mohammad Is not there so automatically I’m the acting spokesperson of this party, so I can tell you without fear or favour.
“Any other person issuing a statement is doing that maybe on a personal capacity but constitutionally I am the acting spokesperson of the party. It’s not something I need to lobby for, it is something meant to be the trend and I stand by it,” he said.
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