Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, immediate past National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has absolved himself of allegations of being behind the current travails of his successor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, describing the former labour leader as a master of the art of deception and author of confusion. He described the allegations as “ludicrous and infantile” as well as “an attempt to dream up justifications for the failings of the party under Oshiomhole’s chairmanship.”
Since the build up to the June 2018 National Convention of APC and the consequent emergence of Oshiomhole as APC chairman, Odigie-Oyegun had often taken flaks for the numerous problems afflicting the party.
While he maintained studied silence all through the period, his reaction, yesterday, would be his first formal response to allegations of laying landmines for his successor. However, in a statement signed by his Public Affairs Adviser, Chief Ray Morphy, yesterday, the former APC national chairman said Oshiomhole had continued to falter because he lacked the temperament required to lead a political party in the 21st century. Odigie-Oyegun said: “That statement of booby traps is ludicrous and infantile, an attempt to dream up justification for the failings of the party under Oshiomhole’s chairmanship. “Oshiomhole fails because he lacks the temperament that is required to run a political party. He lacks the capacity to manage the different interests and tendencies that constitute a political party.” While accusing Oshiomhole of always acting according to his whims, rather than the resolutions of the NWC, the statement equally described the party chairman as one ruled by his tongue rather than his mind. He said: “He (Oshiomhole) engages his mouth before engaging his mind, so he offends party members. So, how does that constitute booby traps by Oyegun, the erstwhile chairman?”
He also spoke of how Oshiomhole led the party into its current wave of crises, faulting the indecision of the chairman with regards to adopting a uniform template for the conduct of the last primaries of the party before the general elections. He said: “How would you not have crisis in states with the confusion that Oshiomhole created when he gave the states freedom to choose their methods of choosing candidates for elections. ‘’Much of the crisis in states arose out of sheer incapacity on the part of the current chairman.
Many party men were aghast at the unfairness and injustice meted them during the primaries process. “Oshiomhole and his chairmen should leave his predecessor out and face his duties of running the party which seems to be overwhelming him. He should face the dwindling fortunes of the party which he himself created. “Only a bad carpenter quarrels with his tools. Indeed, Oshiomhole is degrading and de-marketing the party. Rather than seek to bring more people on board, he is rather chasing people out of the party with his agbero style of engagement.”
