The ongoing exchange of hot words continued Thursday between the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore and the party’s National Vice Chairman, Salihu Moh Lukman, over allegation that the former mismanaged the campaign funds allocated for Osun governorship election in 2022.
Lukman has, however, responded to Omisore’s letter, saying though wrongly dated his lawyer will respond to the threat against him.
The outspoken APC National Vice Chairman had on Wednesday while featuring on an AIT programme accused Omisore of mismanaging funds allocated for last year’s Osun governoeship campaign and allegedly causing APC defeat in the election.
He equally accused the party’s National Secretary of further dividing the Osun Sate chapter of the party and called for his resignation.
Responding, Omisore in a letter to Lukman through his Lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) asked the party’s Vice Chairman to retract the defamatory statement against him in two national dailies and several online media platforms and pay him the sum of N500m for alleged defamation of his character within 48 hours or face legal action.
But in a statement released Thursday to newsmen, Lukman: “Since Sen. Omisore’s response to the request for accountability is to threaten legal action, I have also instructed my lawyers to respond appropriately to his legal threat.
“I am in receipt of the letter from Lords & Temple, signed by Mr. Oyewole, dated 15th March, 2023 (the letter was actually wrongly dated 15th March 2022).”
Lukman said his earlier statements were appeal to both the National Chairman, Sen. Adamu and National Secretary, Sen. Omisore to demonstrate willingness to make sacrifices to earn the respect and followership of Senators-elect and House of Representative members-elect.
In response to his statements, Lukmansaid Omisore had sent him abusive messages and asked his lawyer to write a threat letter.
“I make this appeal respectfully and without any ill-feeling to anyone, including Sen. Omisore. I stand by my position that Sen. Omisore is unable to unite party leaders and members in Osun State, which is responsible for why we lost the election.
“He is opposed to any demand for accountability and is resorting to acts of intimidation to perhaps manipulate processes of appointment into the Asiwaju-led federal government.
“Finally, after 24 years of uninterrupted democracy, we must not shy away from initiatives that will strengthen internal contest within our party, APC. Part of the big challenge of Nigeria’s democracy is that internal contest is being destroyed. As a result, we produced situations where some leaders act as tyrants.
“Anyone who expresses views that are not in harmony with thinking of some leaders is condemned. This attitude is responsible for the destruction of PDP as a party and is gradually being entrenched in our party. There should be conscious effort to call these leaders to order!
“Both as party leaders and Nigerians, we must wake up to the reality that negotiation to form the next APC government under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu must depart from the conventional approach of allowing leaders to emerge based on individual aspirations. We cannot risk any further complication of entrenchment of the existing religiously lopsided Muslim-Muslim identity of Asiwaju Tinubu and Sen. Shettima. No legal threat should distract us from addressing this challenge.