Does it mean that Oyegun can’t see handwriting on the walls of APC convention?
Though there are earlier signals that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) may have wanted continuity of the existing party structure at the national level based on the short-lived approval for tenure elongation, President Muhammadu Buhari’s idea for fresh party convention turned the table.
In what may tactically look as if the party chairmanship slot may have been zoned to Edo State, party leaders are in need of real convention that will produce an elected chairman.
Yes, there are indications of waivers for current chairman who seems very eager to re-contest, emerging realignments in the spirit of President Buhari’s body language points to real change of leadership and it seems former Edo Governor and now, politically jobless labour activist, Mr. Adams Oshiomole is the best bet.
However, analysts have fears that though he has leadership experience over the years, having come from Labour leadership to governorship for eight years and so forth, yet still, there are fears over chances of deploying high-handedness in his leadership which may not go down well with some powers that be in the ruling party after all.
Certainly, this may be the reason for back and forth swinging of supports from every quarter.
Only on Tuesday at the Edo State capital, Benin, signals emerged, showing that even the State that has both contestants for national chairman cannot fix their home ahead of the May 2018 convention in Abuja.
This stemmed from the splitting of the South South party chieftains, following a controversial zonal meeting, held in Benin, Edo State.
Just as the benin meeting was over, wherein South South APC leaders, purportedly, endorsed former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, as the adopted candidate of the zone for the national chairmanship position, four state chairmen of the party and leaders washed their hands off the resolution, alleging ‘ambush’.
Accordingly, facts from a video recorded after the meeting showed that APC chairmen from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa, as well as some aggrieved zonal leaders, told the newsmen that whatever resolution reached at the South South zonal meeting, held at Government House, Edo State, was not binding on them.
To them, the bone of contention was that the national vice chairman of the APC of convening the meeting with the sole aim of getting an endorsement for a particular aspirant to the post of national chairman.
In their views, the national vice chairman does not have the power to convene any zonal meeting, without getting the clearance of the National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, who is also from South South.
One of the chairmen said: “The national vice chairman is from the zone. The national chairman is also from the zone. The national vice chairman cannot convene a meeting of the zone without the knowledge or approval of the national chairman.
“We were ambushed by the national vice chairman, to adopt a pre-conceived candidate he had already made up his mind about, based on whatever agreement. Even when someone raised a motion, asking him to disqualify himself from the meeting, having shown bias, he ignored it and sat there, and is now saying there was a decision. We want you to know that out of six states, four states are saying it was an ambush; it is not acceptable. There was no resolution.
“We have said every person is free to run for an election. We stand by the resolution of the NEC, that there is a waiver. The national chairman can re-contest if he so wishes. Anybody from the zone can contest. Whatever has come out of this meeting is a farce. It is not binding on anybody. It is null and void, because four states are saying no. Just one and half, Edo and some fraction of Delta, are the people saying they have a vote. This is not democracy. The majority view is that there was no consensus on any candidate.”
In his understanding, the deputy national secretary and a member of the National Working Committee (NEC) said what happened in Benin was the business of Edo State government, and not binding on the South South zone.
According to him, “I want to put it on record that out of the six state chairmen of the party from the zone, we have chairmen of River, Cross Rover, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states here, who are saying this decision is that of the Edo state government. We came to the meeting to find out that the national chairman was not aware of the meeting; he was not even invited to the meeting.”
To the Bayelsa State chairman aligned with the others, saying what happened was a fraud.
On his part, the Cross Rover chairman said: “As regards what happened here, I stand to dissociate myself. Whatever resolution so adopted is null and void.”
His Akwa Ibom state counterpart said: “We came here to be ambushed by the national vice chairman. We, from Akwa Ibom State, will not support any decision taken here today. Whatever decision taken today is out of context and we cannot accept it.”
Before the meeting, the leadership of the APC in South South zone chose Oshiomhole as the choice of the zone for the national chairmanship seat of the party.
However, there are indications that some external forces that want the continuity of Chief John Oyegun may have infiltrated Edo APC caucus even though majority of the party faithful may wish for a real leadership change at the coming convention.
