Oyegun Begins Re-Election Moves, Calls Tinubu’s Bluff- INDEPENDENT

Lagos – Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, embattled National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is already making moves to retain his position at the forthcoming convention of the party scheduled for June.

He will, however, have to square up with some contending forces in the party who are hell-bent on his ouster after the completion of his first term.

The anti-Oyegun forces are believed to be led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, and head of the party’s reconciliation team.

DAILY INDEPENDENT had earlier reported that some governors, ministers, National Assembly members, and key officials in the presidency who are loyal to Oyegun had begun moves to ensure that he gets another four-year mandate after the one year extension granted him and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) collapsed, following the president’s rejection.

The pro-Oyegun supporters believe they can use their influence to curry the goodwill of delegates in Oyegun’s favour and secure him another four-year mandate in office.

Leading the pack are Governors Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Governor Yahaya Bello of  Kogi State.

Speaking with newsmen after Tuesday’s meeting with President Buhari, Rochas Okorocha, Chairman of APC Governors’ Forum and governor of Imo State, confirmed Oyegun’s plan to seek re-election when he clarified some points.

He said: “But let me correct one impression, the issue of congress and convention does not mean that the previous people who have served the party have done badly, and it does not mean that they cannot come back, or that they cannot re-contest. That is not it.

“We are simply saying that their tenure has ended and those who wish to re-contest can re-contest and can be elected to our party structure.

“So, we are all one as a family and we are set to go for the 2019 elections in victory.”

Though many stakeholders in the APC have alluded to the key role Tinubu played in Oyegun’s emergence, the embattled national chairman in an interview at his Benin residence last year debunked the claim, and said no single individual assisted him to occupy the exalted position.

“I don’t believe one particular person solely assisted me to this position, everybody assisted me and, someday, the story of how I became chairman of APC will be told.

“You will then see that everybody did assist me to become national chairman.

“This means that I am there for everybody. I don’t belong to any camp in the APC. I belong to all members of APC, high and below,” Oyegun had said.

However, in an interview, Chief Charles Idahosa, an APC chieftain in Benin, countered Oyegun’s claim.

“I can tell you that, that is a lie. How can he say Tinubu and Oshiomhole did not play any role? Asiwaju Bola Tinubu threw all his strength into making him the national chairman. You know, they were in NADECO together.

“So, we were not surprised because both of them have known each other for a long time. I know all these because I was an insider.

“For Oyegun to now go to Abuja and be saying what the president will want to hear, is not good at all.

“Oyegun knew what we did to make him national chairman. Tom Ikimi had already gone unopposed from Edo State.

“We had to call a State Working Committee meeting to say there is another person from Edo State who is interested in the position.

“I spoke to the state chairman of APC who is still alive; I spoke to then governor, Adams Oshiomhole, that this is what we should do because we are not very sure of Ikimi.

“We just felt Ikimi had been a national chairman of the old National Republican Convention (NRC).

“In fairness to him, Ikimi played a prominent role in the formation of APC, there is no doubt about that. I don’t do things out of sentiment.

“If not, I would have supported Ikimi as national chairman because he drafted me in 2004 to the formation of Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD).

“I was on the Publicity Committee with the late Alex Anielo who was the pioneer chairman of the party.

“ACD became AC, then ACN, and now APC. Everything was done in Ikimi’s house.

“On why we rejected Ikimi, we felt Oyegun was a former governor and since he had become national chairman before, let’s give it to Oyegun.

“If you know Ikimi, I am sure you will know the type of character he has.

“We felt he will be very difficult and he will pose a problem, so we agreed that let’s give it to somebody else.

“Ikimi had already been sent unopposed but we called Oyegun and he addressed us at the state secretariat of the party.

“We asked him questions and he responded. After we were convinced with his response, we went to Abuja and worked for him,” Idahosa said.

While it is likely that the South-South geopolitical zone would retain the position, it, however, remains to be seen who the anti-Oyegun forces would present but, according to credible sources in the party, Adams Oshiomhole, former governor of Edo State, comes first among likely candidates from the zone.

A credible source in the South-West APC said Tinubu would never oppose Oshiomhole if the former Edo State governor indicates interest in the plum position.

He, however, said it may be difficult to persuade many of the party’s stakeholders to accept the former labour leader owing to his combative style and the fact that he cannot be easily manipulated.

“I don’t think Tinubu will oppose Oshiomhole. If you remember, they were both in the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on whose platform Oshiomhole contested the Edo governorship election in 2007.

“Tinubu also played a key role in assisting him to retrieve his mandate from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” he said.

“If you also remember, Edo and Lagos APC are on the same page on the rejection of tenure extension for Oyegun.

“After Lagos APC issued a statement opposing the extension, Edo APC, led by Oshiomhole, also did the same and they even thanked President Buhari for rejecting the move.

“So, I think Tinubu and Oyegun are on the same page,” he said.

Speaking with DAILY INDEPENDENT, Joe Igbokwe, Publicity Secretary of Lagos APC, said while Oyegun was free to contest as he was constitutionally allowed to do, it remained to be seen how he was going to win.

Describing Oyegun as a very incompetent leader, Igbokwe said he would never vote for him to be returned to office.

He said Oyegun had problems in 11 states controlled by the APC and couldn’t resolve anyone until Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to reconcile the aggrieved party members.

“He is free to contest. Whether he will win is another thing. The man is very incompetent, and people like me will never vote him.

“He had problems in almost 11 states controlled by the APC. He was unable to resolve anyone until Asiwaju was appointed.

“He now started running helter-skelter to go and form a committee, thereby compounding the problems. The man is just incompetent,” he said.