- President moves to save Odigie-Oyegun’s job
- Tinubu now a beautiful bride
The National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress, last Tuesday, would have endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the party but for the opposition to it by its first interim national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, The Point can authoritatively report.
According to those at the meeting, governors close to the President had perfected plans for the adoption of Buhari, and it would have scaled through, but Chief Akande, who at a meeting of leaders of the Southwest zone three weeks ago said that the race was open and that the ticket was for any party member to grab, kicked against it on the grounds that it could cause division in the party.
Governors close to the President had perfected plans for the adoption of Buhari and it would have scaled through, but Chief Akande, who at a meeting of leaders of the Southwest zone three weeks ago said that the race was open and that the ticket was for any party member to grab, kicked against it
Akande was quoted as saying, “I have nothing against the President”, but that at his age, he should be able to tell the truth.
A source said, “Chief Akande explained that his position was informed by the likely backlash of such a decision as there are likely to be more than 10 aspirants for the position. Declaring the President as the sole candidate will likely result in serious in-fighting and so, it should be left open to all aspirants for the office.
“No one could fault the logic behind the argument and that was why the party decided to defer the issue of presidential candidate of the party. It was clearly to stave off internal wrangling in the party.”
But the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullai, in his response when asked whether Akande opposed the adoption of the President at the NEC meeting, said, “Not at all.”
Before the NEC meeting, the source revealed, President Buhari had personally taken charge of softening the ground to ensure that the caucus meeting and the NEC was rancour-free, more so when newspaper reports indicated that there was serious disenchantment within the party and that the target of those aggrieved was the party National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The President had met with stakeholders and he had long discussions with them behind closed doors. Those the President met with before the caucus meeting included Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and some governors.
The source said President Buhari pleaded with the party leaders not to rock the boat or heat up the polity with their moves to remove Odigie-Oyegun. He reportedly pointed out that Oyegun’s tenure as chairman would expire in March next year and he should be allowed to conclude it peacefully.
The duo of Tinubu and Akande are fed up with the party as it is presently constituted. What it means is that, changes must be made and the presidential ticket must be open for grabs…That Tinubu did not attend the meeting where the statement was made by Akande was strategic and the complaint that he did not attend because he was ill was A mere excuse, it was learnt
According to the source, the party leaders were worried because some youths protested, carrying placards at the party secretariat a day to the NEC meeting. The protest was said to be a pointer to what to expect at the NEC meeting. The President was said to have made formal and informal contacts to ensure the party held the meetings without rancour.
It would be recalled that after the governorship primary election that threw up Rotimi Akeredolu in Ondo State, Tinubu, in a strongly worded statement, called for the resignation of Odigie-Oyegun as the national chairman of the party. His grouse against the party chairman was that he personally submitted Akeredolu’s name as candidate of the party against the position of the investigative committee sent to Ondo State from the headquarters of the party. According to Tinubu, Odigie-Oyegun was running the party against the spirit behind its formation. But Odigie-Oyegun fired back after meeting with President Buhari, that he could not be sacked on the pages of newspapers and that there was a procedure for the removal of the chairman of the party.
The target of aggrieved party leaders in the long run, it was learnt, was the President. The President was said to have made several concessions when he met with the aggrieved. He made concessions such as appointing more ministers and constituting Boards of public institutions to appease them. Some party stalwarts, including state governors, did not hesitate to ventilate their grouse against the way appointments were made without consultation with critical stakeholders in the party. Some claimed that those who did not work for the party were the main beneficiaries of the success of the party. A governor said publicly that he was not consulted before appointments of people from his state by the President. Buhari had to placate them all.
The source said, “President Muhammadu Buhari and Odigie-Oyegun are on the same page. Whoever tells you that Odigie-Oyegun was the main target is being economical with the truth. The anger of stakeholders in the party is against President Buhari, who did not pretend to have soft spot for those who came to the party from his CPC. His appointments favour the CPC more than other stakeholders, and leaders of other older parties made that clear to the President.
“The CPC produced the presidential candidate in the person of Buhari, the ACN produced the Vice President in the person of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the nPDP produced the Senate President in the person of Dr. Bukola Saraki, even though the mainstream of the party was against his emergence. Now, what we expected was that all key major appointments would be made in consultation with leaders of all stakeholders in the party. But that was not the case.”
According to inside sources, President Buhari knew what Odigie-Oyegun was capable of doing because they were both in the defunct ANPP. While the President was the candidate of the defunct ANPP, Odigie-Oyegun was the deputy chairman of the party. He was said not to be favorably disposed to having Odigie-Oyegun as the chairman of the party. But former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other leaders that had their ways on many issues at the formative stage of the party, during which Tinubu insisted that he would not remain in the party if somebody like Tom Ikimi was allowed to emerge as national chairman. The leaders opposed to Ikimi complained that he had in the past played many important roles in the PDP, the then rival, ruling party.
Few weeks ago, Akande stated after the Southwest meeting of the party that President Buhari had not declared his interest to run in 2019 and that anybody could eventually emerge the party’s candidate. Odigie-Oyegun swiftly reacted that Akande was merely expressing his personal opinion. The party later stated that no decision had been taken concerning the presidential ticket of the party and that the party constitution would be followed to the letter in presenting a candidate for the presidential election.
The comment attributed to Chief Akande was deliberate. The duo of Tinubu and Akande are fed up with the party, as it is presently constituted. What it means is that, changes must be made and the presidential ticket must be open for grabs. Others may soon come into the open about it. That Tinubu did not attend the meeting where the statement was made by Akande was strategic and the complaint that he did not attend because he was ill was a mere excuse, it was learnt. Our correspondent later gathered, too, that some party leaders from the zone wanted to counter Akande and he dared them to
do so.
Tinubu has, however, publicly stated that he had nothing against the President and that Nigerians know that if he had anything against the government, he would not shy away from making it public. He could be a rebel, when it’s necessary to be one, he said. He was one of those the President met before the caucus and NEC meetings, and it is believed that the President successfully convinced him to ensure the party held a rancour-free NEC meeting. It should be noted, however, that Tinubu told State House correspondents that he was not prepared to discuss the issue of endorsing President Buhari for a second term. The statement is loaded.
The official reason for not calling the meetings of the party until last week by the national chairman, as clearly stated in the party constitution, was because of lack of fund. The party had explained that the policy of the party was not to spend public funds to run the party. Now that meetings were held, the party believes that state governors and the government at the centre will find a way to fund the party.
A party chieftain explained that, “Chief Akande was the interim chairman of the party and he is highly respected by President Buhari. But I can tell you that Akande is not happy with the situation right now and what he said at the Southwest meeting of the party is enough to reveal the way his mind is working.
“The party has finally come to terms with the position Akande took at the Southwest meeting. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State emphasised the fact last Friday after meeting President Buhari in Aso Rock. No automatic ticket for Buhari.”
