Itse Sagay is a rogue elephant – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has come down hard on the the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), for describing the party leadership as “the most unprincipled group of people,” saying the professor is actually a “rogue elephant.”

The anti-corruption adviser to the President had in an interview with a national daily (not Blueprint) called the current leadership of the party under Chief John Oyegun, “the most unprincipled group of people” who are “encouraging and accepting rogues” into the party.

But responding in a statement signed by the APC’s National Publicity Secretary Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, Monday in Abuja, the party said Prof. Sagay had also insulted President Muhammadu Buhari, “who dug him back from inevitable oblivion and puts him in a position.”

While stating clearly that President Buhari is actually the one who has responsibility as the leader of the party to build it, the statement described Sagay’s submission as “sheer arrogance.”

According to the party: “In his sheer arrogance, he forgets that it is impossible for him to call out the leadership of the party as “weak” and “unprincipled” without indicting the President, who is the leader of the party and has the fundamental responsibility to build the party.

“If Sagay had any iota of respect for the man who dug him back from inevitable oblivion and puts him in a position in which he now feels superior to everyone, he would channel his opinions and advice to the President on how to make the party stronger and more principled. It appears however that Sagay does not have anything constructive to say about anything. He only knows how to tear down and assault everyone and everything.”

The Oyegun led APC, however, reminded Prof. “Sagay and all other appointees of our government that the only reason they occupy their current position today is because the APC won the election. There is, therefore, a matter of honour to show decorum and respect for the party and its leadership. You cannot love the fruit and hate the tree that produced it.”

Continuing: “Framed in another way, what Sagay is saying here is that, no matter what is at stake, he would rather resign than obey the President if the President tries to restrain him. This is the quintessential rogue elephant behaviour.

“The Webster dictionary defines ‘rogue elephant’ as “one whose behaviour resembles that of a rogue elephant in being aberrant or independent.” Clearly if we have today, anyone in our government or, by extension, the party who feels accountable only to his own ego; who does not feel the need to bridle his tongue for the sake of anything that is higher than himself; who feels independent of everyone and every institution; that person is Professor Sagay.”

Leave a Reply