Again, APC govs attack Oshiomhole

TRACKING_____Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) have told the Bisi Akande-led National reconciliation committee to hold the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, responsible for the party’s crisis and current misfortune.

While blaming the national leadership of APC as being responsible for crisis rocking the party, the Governors Forum unequivocally told the committee that irresponsible acts of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee led to the many electoral tragedies that befell APC since 2015.

The Forum described the APC as non – functional today as a party due to the litany of crisis that befallen it at the national and states level.

The Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, describing the crisis in the party as getting worse and worse by the day, said “it has gotten to a stage whereby the competence of members of the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC to provide needed leadership to ensure victory in every election has been eroded”.

The Forum, which pointed out the problem of imposition of candidates in elections as the genesis of the APC crisis, said since 2015, conducts of primary elections within the party has been rancourous in virtually all states.

“Our National Working Committee (NWC), which is saddled with the leadership responsibility of managing all our internal processes and where there are problems, facilitate resolution of the problems, is unable to do so.

“Inability to resolve problems associated with management of 2015 elections have been compounded with more problems from 2019 elections. In fact, multiplicity of these problems has made us to lose elections in Adamawa, Bauchi, Oyo, Sokoto and Zamfara.

“Perceived weaknesses of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC served as the justification of electing Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as replacement to Chief Oyegun. Sadly, challenges of internal democracy and fair competitive practices during candidates’ selection processes in the party remained a dream.

“Now, clearly the problems associated with candidates’ selection process has produced what can be regarded as an electoral college. Citizens can vote but our Supreme Court will eventually determine the winner. All as a result of very poor management of candidates’ selection process by our party.

“We can win election and on account of some inabilities to competently manage legal challenges associated with nomination of candidates, we are compelled to surrender victory to our opponents.

“This is the narrative of the Supreme Court judgement of February 13, 2020 in respect of November 16, 2019 Bayelsa elections. It was also the case with the May 24, 2019 Supreme Court nullification of the election of all APC candidates in the 2019 elections in Zamfara State.

“In other words, our NWC can be described as a very efficient trojan horse that opens the backdoor for electoral victory to our political opponents.

It is really unfortunate that we are faced with all the avoidable electoral tragedies that has befell us, all because our NWC has decided to abdicate its responsibility”, said the PGF.

Berating Oshiomhole for running the party like a fiefdom, the Forum condemned the national chairman for allowing himself to be surrounded by sycophants mainly from Edo State who considered objective advice as betrayal.

“Comrade Oshiomhole has become all of a sudden, a leader who is intolerant to criticisms. His level of intolerance is so high that any disagreement or criticism expressed against any of his decisions or actions is classified as betrayal and therefore requiring disciplinary actions.

“The procedure for disciplinary actions has become so cheapened such that all the relevant provisions in the party’s constitution are violated.

As a result, Comrade Oshiomhole is today the leading accuser, prosecutor and judge in almost all cases where disciplinary actions have been administered in the party.

The only probable exception may be the case in his Ward in Edo State where he is also being alleged to have been disciplined”, stated the PGF.

The Forum, therefore, warned the National Reconciliation Committee that with this kind of background, it is almost impossible to start any process of engagement to resolve APC problems without addressing the issue of intolerance that is today the main characteristic of the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC.

While not questioning the capacity or competence of the Committee, the PGF suggested that as a starting point, it has appealed to the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC to convene a meeting of the appropriate organs of the party – National Executive Council (NEC) or National Caucus where a decision setting aside all the disciplinary actions at all levels of the party, including the NWC can be taken.

Such a meeting, argued the PGF, can also serve as perhaps an ice-breaking platform where some good pronouncements can emerge, which can encourage all aggrieved leaders and party members to express their disagreement and dissatisfaction at the way the party is being managed since 2015.

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“If the Chief Akande Committee is to succeed in this very crucial assignment, it must be positioned to set in motion the process of rebuilding the party.

The hard truth is that as it stands today, APC is not a functional political party. None of its organs at any level is meeting as provided in the party’s constitution. It is even debatable if our membership register exists. At best, it will be the same old 2015 membership register”, insisted the PGF.

The Daily Times recalls that the APC governors had in November while reacting to the crisis that rocked the Edo State chapter of the party, noted that Oshiomhole since coming on board had micro-managed the ruling party leaving festering crises across the states.

The Forum also blamed Oshiomhole’s leadership style for the failure of the party in Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi, and Adamawa states in the last general election.