Oshiomhole is an ethnic bigot- Okechukwu

Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, says All Progressives Congress national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is an ethnic bigot. Patrick Andrew highlights the accusation adduced by Okechukwu who lost his bid for the Enugu West Senatorial Zone ticket of the party.
“In October after he messed up APC’s primary; he issued a statement via his Chief Press Secretary, Simon Ebegbulum, in a futile attempt to fence off the barrage of attacks which trailed the controversial primary, to the effect that the crime his leadership committed is its disdain for impunity and circumvention of due process perpetrated in some states at the pleasure of some influential stakeholders.
“May I ask Comrade Oshiohmole what is impunity and circumvention of due process and disrespect to our great party, more than authoritarianism? Or did he abide by the fine tenets of democracy in the conduct and supervision of the primaries? Were there natural justice, equity and level playing field? No as exemplified below:-
“There is no natural justice, equity and fair play when Comrade Oshiomhole populated or rather corrupted the primary with his Edo Field Commanders interalia:-
Chairman National Appeal Panel -H.E. Professor O. Osunbor,
Chairman Kebbi State H. E. Professor O. Osunbor
Chairman Abia State Chief David Iyoha
Chairman Ebonyi State Senator Domingo Obande
Chairman Enugu State Professor Moses Momoh
Chairman Niger. State. Lucky Imafuen
Chairman Kano. State. Dr Pius Odubu
Chairman Kaduna State Chief Matthew Iduyehue
Chairman Akwa Ibom State. Hon Abbas Briamah, and uncountable Edo members of Gubernatorial, Senate, HOR and House of Assembly Panels.
“Comrade Chair, kindly note that the Federal Character principle, as enunciated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Constitution of the APC and extant laws, frowns at nepotism and food is ready for his cronies. One is of the considered opinion that each state is entitled to one head of the Panel, if pecuniary consideration is not fingered paramount.
“It is my candid view that each state and Federal Capital Territory have eminent persons to head one panel each, instead of fanning out kindred and cronies as if it were bazaar handouts.
“Accordingly, without being immodest, one challenges Comrade, outside pontification and self denial, in the tradition of the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari, to set up a public inquiry to investigate the Phone Call-Log and possibly accounts of all the Panelists and Comrade’s Aides and associates. Those who petitioned Comrade for alleged corruption seem vindicated.
“For instance, can Comrade in all honesty publicly tell Nigerians why he stopped Enugu State gubernatorial primary mid-way after seamless conclusion of 4 out of 17 LGAs without genuine reason? I was one of those he spoke to and we assured him all is well. Or the unilateral reversal of Indirect Primary Mode of election chosen by Enugu State to Direct Primary, without proper resort to the National Working Committee which approved the Indirect Primary for Enugu State?
“Can Comrade Oshiomhole as a matter of urgent national importance clear the air on the culture of impunity and misadventure he demonstrated in Imo State by handing over the APC to a FRIENDLY FAMILY? One challenges Comrade Oshiomhole in all clear conscience to tell the world how APC can win Imo State in 2019 in the CLIFF-HANGER he wittingly or unwittingly railroaded our great party?
“Is the Electoral Act or our party’s rules followed in Zamfara, Ogun States or some of us who won the primary election but were shortchanged?
“Methinks Comrade Oshiomhole came with a wrong mindset, kind of ITK – I Too Know. Hear him. Secondly, everything his predecessor, Chief John Odigie Oyegun did is evil and he is saint. Oshiomhole better goes home to settle with his brother, before we pay for the sin we never committed. Thank God that Oyegun has been vindicated, though at great cost to APC.
“In sum, let’s thank Almighty God that our dear president is above the fray, as all the contending tendencies will vote for Mr President. The substitution window should be utilised by the APC Leadership to amend some of the VOTE-DEATH-TRAPS regrettably laid by Comrade Oshiomhole and his gang.”

APC replies VON DG: Shut up, you’re frustrated

The national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) says the claims by the governor of Ogun state Ibikunle Amosun and the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu, over the recently conducted were primaries. Bode Olagoke brings APC’s response.

Both Amosun and Okechukwu had accused the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomohle of bias during the primary where they both directly and indirectly lost out.

However, the party National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Onilu, claimed their grievances were as a result of frustrations, having lost at the primaries.

“Okechukwu is a highly respected member of the party, a very senior member but you can also understand that it is not about him and the party, it is about him picking the senatorial ticket of his constituency and that is about ambition, and when that does not happen, you don’t expect him not to cry, he has right to ventilate this anger and it is for the party to also listen to him.

“He may have gone overboard to the making all sort of ill-accusations but you also have to understand his present situation, he lost out, if that same process had favoured him, he will be in his office, in an air condition atmosphere, drinking coffee and taking a laugh at whoever is complaining but it didn’t work for him, so you expect him not to complain and there must be someone to blame in such a situation. So, he has picked on the chairman unfortunately.

“But the chairman has no blame in this, if you have issues with the process fine, you can complain about the process. We have an appeal panel that was set up for those with issues to take recourse to that and the internal mechanism for dispute resolution of the party is very strong and responsive and it is therefore meant for all party members to access no matter how high or low to access.”

On the visit of Ogun state governor, Ibikunle Amosun to President Muhammadu Buhari with some traditional rulers, Oniru, who laughed at the move said:

“He (Amosun) took the certain monarchs, some traditional rulers from Ogun state to come and meet the president, I am surprised because someone like him, with due respect should have understood the nature of the president we have, that no matter how close you are to him, he will listen to you but he will ask for the road to be followed.

“So, the problem he has is that, he was looking for who to blame, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Aremo Segun Osoba readily came under attack and he blamed them for that. The question to ask is whether they were the one who gave directive to him to organise his own primaries or they were the one who instructed him not to participate in the primaries or his candidate not to participate in primaries the party organised.”

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