Youths besiege APC secretariat, demand Oyegun’s sack

By Bode Olagoke

Abuja

Ahead of today’s NEC meeting, some youths, under the aegis of Save APC and Democracy Youth Vanguard yesterday took their protest to the National Secretariat of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), demanding that its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, be removed.
Other demands listed on the various placards by the youths included: “Audit APC account now, No to non-elective convention, APC must support anti-corruption,” among others.
But surprisingly as the protest was going on, Oyegun, who is in the eye of the storm came in his convoy to the party house, which made the energetic youth protesters to shout the more on their top voices.
Speaking with newsmen during the protest, leader of the group identified himself as Peter Oyewole, said since 2015 APC won the presidential election; the party’s finances had not been audited and made public as stipulated by the law.
“Since 2015, the budget of APC has not been made public. Since 2015, the ruling party has not hold a single meeting. These are enough to remove the National Chairman. We demand the removal of Oyegun now.
“We are also saying enough this enough to imposition of candidates at all level by the Oyegun-led NWC that is currently going on in this party, because in any party where there is imposition there cannot be fairness, any party where there is imposition there cannot be equity, the imposition in APC today is just rubbishing the anti corruption war of President Buhari.
“So, the current National chairman we are having in APC cannot work in support of APC agenda and President Buhari. If Oyegun is not removed he will continue to rubbish the efforts of the President, especially in fighting corruption because you cannot give what you don’t have. The high level of corruption and imposition going on under Oyegun is alarming.
“If Odiege-Oyegun is not removed within the next one month, the APC youths will picket this national Secretariat and make a no go area to everybody; both staff, the officials and even the security staff will be chased out of the Secretariat and none of them will be allowed to come in here.”
When asked to justify the allegations he made against the national chairman, he said: “The man (Oyegun) cannot manage success. Since 2015 that the APC won the Presidential election, tell me a single NEC meeting that has been held? This man cannot galvanise support for the president.
“What we are saying is that if Oyegun continue like this we are going to have imposition at all level in APC come 2019.
When asked whether the group is known to the party, the spokesman said “this is a democracy whereby many wings can grow up to push for the interest of many.”
Meanwhile, ahead of the NEC today, youths of the party under the auspices of APC Youths Solidarity Forum, have written to the president, suggesting ways to mitigate the dwindling fortunes of the party and quell the anxieties being felt by various party stalwarts.
The Forum, a support group of the party with youth membership spreading across the 36 states and the FCT, stated that “after carefully watching the emerging political trend, especially within the party, there is the greater need to strengthen the party which is the only legitimate platform to obtain political power in this country.”
In the letter signed by its convener, Danesi Momoh Prince, it highlighted two cardinal issues they felt were teething problems that urgently needed the president’s attention as the “party organs meet if we must retain the Presidency come 2019 and remain in power.”

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