Fresh Troubles in APC as Buhari ENDORSES Oshiomhole to Replace Oyegun as National Chairman

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The persistence internal crisis rocking the ruling party (APC), threatens to break the party, the top hierarchy of the party has decided to sacrifice its national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun on the way.

 

This tactical move to ease out the APC’s National Chairman is seen as an interim measure to stabilize the ruling party and save it from imploding.

 

It was learned from reliable sources according to The Authority that the outgoing Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Osh­iomhole, whose second term as governor ended on the 12th November, 2016, has been penciled down to replace embattled Oyegun as the party’s national chairman.

 

To firm up this ‘coup’ against Oyegun, which has the presidency’s backing, The AUTHORITY also scooped that President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed to a “face saving” ambassadorial position for the out-of-favour Oyegun.

 

Party Sources confirmed that, “there is no going back on the decision”. Rightly or wrongly, Oyegun who guided the APC to victory over the PDP has been accused of “killing” the party.

 

The choice of Comrade Oshiomhole stems from the fact that, like Oyegun, he is from the South-South geo-political zone – with the clincher that he has a solid labour background.

 

Several party sources with knowledge about this development that The AUTHORITY sounded out hope that Oshiomhole will be able to build the APC into a formidable “populist” party, a “party in every sense of the word.”

 

As a specific diversionary tactic and to create the condition necessary for the scripted scenario to play out, Oyegun is expected to ‘resign’ quirky, cloned template of PDP succes­sion intrigues then.

 

Frank, who described Oye­gun as a political liability, said what APC needs is a leader who will add political value to the party. He also slammed Oyegun, saying he does not understand the constitution of the APC.

 

According to Frank, “This is the reason why I will continue to fight to ensure that the APC takes Nigeria to the right place but as long as Odigie-Oyegun remains as national chairman, we cannot achieve anything. Now that I am calling for his resignation, some may think it is personal, but it is not.

 

“We need a national chair­man that will add political value to our party, we need a national chairman that can lead the party to victory during elections and we do not need a national chair­man who will clearly be a polit­ical liability to this party as we head towards elections.

 

“We need a national chairman that will understand and follow due process in carrying out functions within the party. We need a chairman who un­derstands the constitution in words and in deed.”

 

But cogent posers are al­ready emerging that could affect the smoothness of this dodgy succession plot. The key question here is – would Oyegun who has the reputation of a plucky fighter agree to resign?

 

Already, the ruling party has unforeseen challenges replacing its national publicity secretary Lai Mohammed. The AUTHORITY gathered that the plan to replace him with former sports minister under President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahai, was aborted by forces opposed to the emerging strangle-hold of Senate President Bukola Sara­ki on the party. Bolaji Abdula­hi is a protégé of Saraki.

 

From what is apparently playing out, the APC is thread­ing the now opposition PDP’s path. It will be recalled that Chief Solomon Lar, who guid­ed the party to victory, was sim­ilarly replaced by Chief Barna­bas Gemade.

 

Many have not forgotten that the PDP has not recovered from that ugly beginning.

 

The AUTHORITY also gathered that Oyegun is ready for a vicious battle against Ambassador Babagana King­ibe, who is presently working as an “Executive Assistant” to the controversial and powerful Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Alhaji Abba Kyari .

 

Kingibe was running mate to Chief MKO Abiola, the ac­claimed winner of the annulled June 12 presidential election.

 

He is widely perceived to have been one of the key insider forces that aided the tradeoff of Abiola’s acclaimed and historic Muslim-Muslim ticket victory.

 

For Odigie-Oyegun to leave office, the APC NWC must bow to the demands of several party stakeholders and groups to organise an emergency Nation­al Executive Council (NEC) meeting or a mini convention, where all the permutations on the enthronement of Oshiomhole and Abdulahi as well as other vacant NWC positions may be ratified.

 

For example, some non NWC members of the NEC had last week issued a two-week ul­timatum to the Odigie-Oyegun led NWC to convene an emer­gency NEC meeting to discuss the many issues rocking the unity of the APC.

 

The APC constitution states clearly that only the NEC or party convention can ratify the choice of any national officer.