RESIGN NOW! APC LEADERSHIP TELLS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, OYEGUN, FOR NOT MANAGING PARTY AFFAIRS WELL

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE APC LEADERSHIP WATCHDOG (ALW)

The inability of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun to manage a progressive party such as ours is getting increasingly obvious every day; and there is need for the octogenarian party chairman to immediately resign and save all of us further embarrassment. This would be in the best interest of everyone.

While we appreciate the stewardship of Chief Oyegun so far, especially his contributions to the campaign and the eventual victory of our party at the polls; we are troubled with the realization that the skills and leadership attributes of Chief Oyegun are not amenable to suit the purpose of a party in power.So while his age and experience were valuable during the campaigns, Chief Oyegun has now displayed his lack of management and leadership experience to coordinate a governing party in order to deliver maximum support to a President elected on its platform. While Mr. President has hit the ground running as evidenced from decisions reached and moves made so far, Chief Oyegun has not even hit the ground at all; but instead lying flat on the ground while the party that portray so much hope run into series of avoidable and needless crisis. This is highly unfortunate.

The need to separate politics from governance, in order for the former not to derail the latter, has led the President to concentrate squarely on delivering purposeful governance to the country; while leaving the coordination and management of party politics in the hands of Chief John Oyegun as the party Chairman. However, it is regrettable that Chief Oyegun has failed to live up to the expectations of a majority of the party members. And there are only two possible reasons for this obvious mismanagement of a party that signify change- it is either Chief Oyegun lacks the ability to deliver on his redefined assignment, or he has compromised.

With the manner Chief Oyegun and his team of National Working Committee (NWC) handled the leadership crisis in the National Assembly, even the failed PDP had to deride our party as one led by “inexperienced” people. For how long would we continue to endure insults and uncouth language from people whose very inexperience has pushed out of office? But still, the APC of today under the chairmanship of Oyegun is making a lot of us wonder if it is still the same party we worked and campaigned with. We are not alone- many Nigerians are now wondering if this was the same APC they voted for.

Before this embarrassment gets deeper and much more unbearable, we call on Chief Oyegun to do the honorable thing by placing the party interest far and above his personal desires. We also call on the leaders of the party and specifically the members of the NWC to safe our party from going deeper on this voyage of self-destruction. Chief John Oyegun should please resign in order to save the party and his members from further headache.

While at it, other members of the party whose recent acts and actions have become inimical to the continued progress and survival of the party should immediately retrace their steps. In the light of this, we specifically call on Senate President BukolaSaraki to quickly return to the path of rectitude. Since the party has resolved to respect the office Senator Bukola now occupies and also accept his emergence; the Senate President must also in turn respect and be loyal to the party. It is time Senate President Bukola Saraki realises that the politics part of his ambition is over. Now is the time to use that office to coordinate and rally the National Assembly behind the vision of Mr. President and that of the party.

WE hope all concerned would do the needful and thread on the path of honour and the ideals of a true progressive politics.

Johnson Yusuf
National Coordinator