…as Tinubu’s loyalists insist party chair must go
Oyegun’s home supporters vow to resist move
As the ruling All Progressives Congress reads unsure regarding the date of its National Convention, some strong forces within the party have perfected plans to ease out the party Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, accusing him of playing Judas to those who put him there.
Odigie-Oyegun…in a matter of months, ditched his sponsors and was soon found in the group known as ‘Buharists’, whose purpose was to whittle down the influence of Tinubu and make him less relevant in the party
Competent sources within the party, who disclosed this to The Point at the weekend, said the immediate past governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was now being seriously considered to take over as the next National Chairman of the APC.
Oshiomhole, sources said, had never wavered in his loyalty to “the caucus” that assisted his political career; “which is why he didn’t get a ministerial appointment last year, when his name was initially shortlisted for appointment in a light Federal cabinet
reshuffle.”
The APC was widely expected to hold its convention last year, but this did not happen, owing to what inside sources described as the determination of some aggrieved party stakeholders to get rid of the Odigie-Oyegun team and have his Central Working Committee dissolved.
However, the party is now under pressure to hold its convention any moment hence, as the four-year tenure of Odigie-Oyegun lapses on June 14, this year, with a clear indication that the APC convention must hold on that date or is held before it.
Whichever way, forces loyal to the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, are said to be all out to see that the Odigie-Oyegun team is dissolved, being one of the conditions reportedly put before President Muhammadu Buhari by the Tinubu team, as a way of reconciling aggrieved interests and moving the party forward.
This is the Oshiomhole we, the Binis, stood for to succeed. With all his character, Pius Odubu, his deputy while as governor, played the mugun (the pliable) with him, just for him to sail through. Now, he is looking for our trouble; we will give it to him when the time comes
ODIGIE-OYEGUN’S ‘MANY SINS’
A close aide to Tinubu, who craved anonymity, lamented over what he called the open play of Judas by those highly trusted by the APC leader, accusing Odigie-Oyegun of particularly giving Tinubu “a world-class
shocker.”
He recalled, “Oyegun, being a former governor (of Edo State) and someone seen as decent and straight-forward, was put forward by the Tinubu team to checkmate the aspiration of Chief Tom Ikime, four years ago.
“In a matter of months, he ditched his sponsors and was soon found in the group of those known as ‘Buharists’, whose purpose was to whittle down the influence of Tinubu and make him less relevant in the party.
“And those to be found in this group then include Kayode Fayemi (Mines and Steel Development Minister), Babatunde Fashola (Works, Power and Housing Minister), Governor Ibikunle Amosun (of Ogun State) and Governor Nasir el-Rufai (of Kaduna State), among others.”
The source said Odigie-Oyegun had openly embarrassed Tinubu in his handling of the Kogi State governorship logjam, following the sudden death of the party’s candidate, Audu Abubakar, midway into the election. While the Tinubu team favoured Abubakar’s running mate, James Faleke, to inherit the party’s victory at the poll, Odigie-Oyegun reportedly rooted for Yahaya Bello, the man who came second at the party’s primary election. Bello eventually became the governor.
Besides, the source said the Tinubu team was sorely embarrassed at what the party’s national chairman did during the governorship race in Ondo State, when he submitted the name of the present governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to the Independent National Electoral Commission, at a time an in-house probe panel recommended the cancellation of the party’s
primary.
At the period, the then party National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank, had openly berated Odigie-Oyegun, asking him to resign his position and subsequently warning that the party would eventually break up “with Oyegun’s divisive leadership style.”
HOW PARTY CHAIR RAN TO BUHARI
More sources within the party also revealed that the APC would have held its convention long before now but for the rancour bearing on the determination of certain highly influential party members to sack Odigie-
Oyegun.
However, the party had, last year, made moves to hold a midterm non-elective convention; it was stymied, as the party national chairman had reportedly got wind of a plot by the party’s stakeholders, many of who are in its Board of Trustees, to pass a vote of no confidence on him and thus get him disgraced out of
office.
He reportedly ran to President Buhari, who called aggrieved party leaders, who included Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, a former party chairman, to a closed-door meeting, where they were said to have been urged to sheathe their swords, as the President himself would “do the
needful.”
This, it was learnt, resulted in the subsequent public shows of camaraderie between Buhari and Tinubu, which even calibrated in Tinubu accompanying the President to international
events.
However, while the rapprochement lasted, a reportedly worried President Buhari is believed not to be keen any longer about retaining Odigie-Oyegun as party chairman, due to what sources now describe as “possible backlash on his 2019 second term
aspiration.”
“The President is stranger to the extent of rancour and animosity in the party, as he is more interested in the place where the crowd of supporters is more in number and the influence is greater,” a party source, who pleaded not to be named, intoned.
On the embarrassing delay in holding the APC convention too, there seems to be a glimmer of hope that the party would soon convene it. Already, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and other less influential parties, have held theirs. Reacting to the touchy issue, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, said, though the delay (in holding the convention) might not look good, it was all in the interest of the
party.
Promising that the convention “will soon hold”, he, however, debunked speculations that the APC NWC had violated constitutional provisions by skipping what was considered a mandatory convention, last year. “We will hold our convention this year. We know the delay doesn’t look good on us, but it was in the best interest of our party,” he pleaded.
ODIGIE-OYEGUN, OSHIOMHOLE’S SUPPORTERS AT WAR
In Edo State, where Odigie-Oyegun hails from, party chieftains loyal to him and those in support of Oshiomhole are said to be at loggerheads, as what is considered as ensuing reign of mutual suspicion between the two politicians is now being localised.
Speaking with our correspondent, a die-hard supporter of Odigie-Oyegun, Hon. Soni Idahagbon, said, “All their evil plans to remove Oyegun will
surely fail.”
Idahagbon, a former chairman of the Agency Against Pipeline Vandalisation in Edo State, said he and others close to Odigie-Oyegun were “very much aware of moves by former Governor Oshiomhole to remove Oyegun as APC national chairman, and take over his job.”
He alleged that Oshiomhole had been sponsoring all sorts of protests against the APC national chairman, “of which we, his (Odigie-Oyegun’s) loyalists are fully aware.” Idahagbon defended his principal against the accusation of divisive tendencies, saying the APC national chairman had always stood for the truth and that, “those who cut corners are not comfortable with
him.”
He also sensed that it was an attempt by Oshiomhole’s Auchi ethnic stock to take the slot from the Benin people (often referred to as Binis). He said, “The Binis will stand out to protect him (Odigie-Oyegun) and the interest of the Bini race.”
“This is the Oshiomhole we, the Binis, stood for to succeed. With all his character, Pius Odubu, his deputy while as governor, played the mugun (the pliable) with him, just for him to sail through. Now, he is looking for our trouble; we will give to him when the time comes,” Idahagbon vowed.
But in a swift reaction, one of Oshiomhole’s close aides, Comrade John Akhigbe, sneered at the Odigie-Oyegun camp, saying the former was not after the latter’s job.
Akhigbe, a former Executive Director on Protocol Matters to Oshiomhole, said there was no truth in the allegation that Oshiomhole was sponsoring protests against Odigie-Oyegun with the goal of snatching his job.
Akhigbe said those behind the allegation were the ones sowing the seed of discord between Oshiomhole and Odigie-
Oyegun.
He said, “Oshiomhole has never told any of us, who are his followers, that he is interested in the national chairmanship of our party. These same people bearing the rumour now, are the people flying another rumour that Oshiomhole wants to contest for Senate.
“First, he is a citizen of Nigeria; he is free to contest for any position. But as for this moment, the Comrade (Oshiomhole) has not informed any one of us of his next move. All he told us is that, he is enjoying his private life now.”
