Oyegun to Tinubu: I won’t resign as APC chairman

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has told the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that he will not resign from his position in the party. Tinubu had, on September 25, demanded Oyegun’s resignation over his role in the emergence of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the party’s candidate for the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.

Tinubu had claimed that Oyegun overruled a panel set up by the party, which recommended the conduct of a fresh primary election in Ondo. He described the national chairman as a fraud and regressive element, who cares nothing for the progressive ideas upon which the party was founded.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, the APC national chairman stressed that there were proper laid down procedures for the removal of the party’s leadership. Fielding questions from reporters, the APC chairman said: “The method of getting rid of a national chairman if that is what I will call it, are spelt out in the constitution. They don’t take place on the pages of newspapers.”

According to Oyegun, as things presently stands, there was no going back on the outcome of the governorship primary election in Ondo State. He said that only the Independent National Electoral (INEC) could upturn the results of the poll.

He, however, explained, “there is no rift with Asiwaju. We have difference of opinion, difference of perception and I think that is normal. Yes, I agree that the nature of the statement was a bit harsh. “Do they know how far back our association goes? Do they know that we were in the trenches together in the NADECO days?

“Why can’t people who have mutual respect for each other have different opinions? All we had was difference of opinions. Yes, it was expressed a bit harshly, but that doesn’t remove the basic fact that we have worked together for a very long time.” Asked why the APC was not calling for National Executive Committee (NEC) to meet over issues within the party, Oyegun said, “NEC will all meet at the appropriate time.” On the party’s victory in the recent governorship election in Edo State, Oyegun said it was a hard fought election that was clear.

The APC chairman also distanced himself from yesterday’s protest by youths at the party’s headquarters in Abuja against Tinubu. The protesting youths accused Tinubu of highhandedness, saying that he was behaving like an “emperor’’ in the party.

But, Oyegun dismissed insinuations that he instigated the protest. He promised to investigate the incident with a view to finding out those behind it. “God forbid, anybody who knows me knows that, that is not my style. I am equally shocked and I’m going to look into it and find out why and who is behind it,” he said.

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