APC: Tinubu Accuses Oyegun Of Undermining His Efforts To Reconcile Party

APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, has accused the party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, of undermining his efforts to reconcile the aggrieved party members as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a letter dated February 21, titled, “Actions and Conduct Weakening The Party From Within,’’ Tinubu stated his discussions with the members of the party’s National Working Committee, last week and noted that Oyegun was sabotaging his effort to restore peace into the party.

He said the spirit of a new and better Nigeria that guided the party to the unprecedented electoral success had been steadily replaced by “the bankrupt and clueless ways that brought the PDP low.”

He said, “You (Odigie-Oyegun) promised unalloyed support for my mission. Consonant with that vow, you said you would provide all information at your disposal and you vowed to act as liaison between me and the state party chapters.

“Unfortunately, the spirit of understanding and of cooperative undertaking to revive the party seems not to have lived beyond the temporal confines of that meeting.

“I assure anyone who cares to know that this positive spirit of cooperation did not meet its demise at my hands.”

“Instead of being a bulwark of support as promised, you positioned yourself in active opposition to the goal of resuscitating the progressive and democratic nature of the APC. As a party, we have strived to be the best, present hope for the nation. Yet, your goal appears to be something of a lesser pedigree.

“In our discussion, you personally mentioned Kogi, Kaduna, Kano and Adamawa states as places afflicted by serious party issues. Given your assessment, these are states where I believe cooperation between you and I should have been intense and detailed. Instead, you have taken it as your personal mission to thwart my presidential assignment in these key states.

“In Kogi, you rushed to the state to unilaterally inaugurate a new state chapter officials parallel to the officials already heading the state chapter of the party.

“While this may place you in significant affinity with those parallel officials you handpicked, this machination suggests no improvement in the welfare of the party in Kogi or at the national level. This usurpation of authority exacerbates conflict and confusion; it does not resolve them.

“It is my understanding that your dissolution of the duly constituted state executives and the hurried naming of the above-mentioned caretaker group were not approved by the NWC. This arrogation of power sets you at variance with the members of the NWC as evidenced by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi’s, statement condemning your improper and unusual action.”

Tinubu also stated that Odigie-Oyegun allowed the crisis to escalate until his recent appointment by the president to resolve them.

He said, “By creating a parallel body, you not only acted improperly, you grew a second problem from the stem where previously there had sprouted but one.

“Drawing from your behaviour in Kogi, Kaduna and with regard to the state chapter assessment requested, I am led to the inference that you have no intention of actually supporting my assignment.

“Instead, you apparently seek to undermine my mandate by engaging in dilatory tactics for the most part. When forced to act, you do so in an arbitrary and capricious manner, without the counsel of other NWC members and without regard to our internal procedures,” Tinubu stated.

Tinubu, giving a brief on the reason for his appointment by Buhari to reconcile the party members, recalled that “since the (2015) elections, there have been allegations of self-induced crisis resulting from merchandising of internal processes. We all must agree that the party was bound to suffer growing pains but not to the extent of losing part of the substantial goodwill that brought us to power.”