ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Thursday, openly lashed out at his critics, saying he was not responsible for the crisis rocking the party.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun also said he never took bribe from anybody as being alleged in some quarters before the election of National Assembly leadership, saying his hands were clean.
He stated this when the leadership of the South-East/ South-South professionals paid him solidarity visit, noting that he was committed to provide good leadership for the party.
Speaking on the party crisis, he said “there is nothing they have not said about me, but when you ask what has the man done, one of their reports said the present executive cannot win us elections in 2019, good Lord! You’ve not even finished 2015, you’re talking about 2019. They also talked about the elite of the North against the people of the South-West, am I from the North, am I the one organising them?”
According to him, “the one that annoys me is the attempt to rubbish 75 solid years of a character that I’ve put together. They said I took gratification; gratification to what purpose? The only people who can say that are the people who do not know my background or history.”
Meanwhile, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has called on all aggrieved groups in the National Assembly debacle to embrace compromise.
Odigie-Oyegun spoke to newsmen at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, on Thursday, on efforts made by the party to reconcile aggrieved parties.
He further urged the parties to sheathe their swords in the interest of the party in particular and Nigeria in general.
“For me, I think that there is no other way to resolve the conflict other than for all of us to accept compromise.
“It is only when we lose face that we can move forward,” he said.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that there had been divisions in the party, as it rejected the leaders chosen by lawmakers.
The party members, who believed in the supremacy of APC in the choice of the leadership of the National Assembly, rejected the leaders chosen by lawmakers who thought otherwise.
Therefore, all has not been well in the party since the swearing-in of Senator Bukola Saraki and Honourable Yakubu Dogara, as the Senate President and Speaker, respectively.
Saraki and Dogara had, on June 9, defied APC’s directives by contesting their current positions as the party favoured Senator Ahmed Lawan as Senate President and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker, respectively.
Also, letters sent to both chambers by the party as regards its choice for other principal officers were rebuffed as all the party’s candidates were not chosen.
Credit: Tribune (Nigeria)
