Oyegun, Oshiomhole clash over Edo APC crisis

Mon, Jul 22, 2019
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Politics

IMMEDIATE past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has again chided his successor, Adams Oshiomhole, over his alleged role in the protracted crisis in Edo State.

In a statement issued by his Public Affairs Adviser, Ray Morphy, Oyegun wondered why Oshiomhole has failed to realise that Governor Obaseki should be supported as the only APC governor in the South-South zone rather than vilify and destabilise his administration.

In his reaction, the Oshiomhole said though he did not want to join issues with his predecessor, he would have preferred him to address him directly.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Simon Ebegbulem, the governing party boss said: “I have no comment. Chief Oyegun is a respected leader of the party and an elder statesman.

“Comrade Oshiomhole has so much respect for him. If he really want to address Oshiomhole, he can come out openly to address the man who succeeded him in office and not one Morphy.”

Oyegun, first civilian governor of Edo State, accused Oshiomhole of blatantly and brazenly engaging in anti-party to the extent that the party in Edo is now riven with confusion and division.

“The recent outburst by Governor Obaseki and the report by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee, indicting the current National Chairman of the APC, have confirmed my earlier claim that Oshiomhole is not only the architect but also responsible for fuelling the crisis in Edo State.

“In the face of these confirmations, I want to urge Oshiomhole to stop disgracing the ruling party and the good people of Edo State. I wonder how he could easily forget that I never interfered or bothered about how he ran the government as the then governor of Edo state all the while I occupied the position of the party’s National chairman.

“I am yet to come to terms why it has become difficult for Oshiomhole to realise that Governor Obaseki is the only APC governor in the entire South-south and should be allowed to concentrate in giving the people of Edo the dividend of democracy.

“It is shocking that a man who boastfully claimed to have buried godfatherism in the Edo state politics could become enmeshed in playing God to his successor. Oshiomhole is not only guilty of godfatherism but also guilty of anti-party activities considering the ignorable role he has been playing and his shameful involvement in the whole Edo crisis.

“Rather than dissipating energy in fomenting more crises, Oshiomhole should rather concentrate in ensuring that the federal government policies conform with the party’s manifesto and campaign promises to the good people of this country.

“I appeal to him once more to stop disgracing the governing party APC and Edo state. He should give the governor a breeding space to concentrate in doing the job of serving the people of Edo state.

“I want to also appeal to the Progressives Governors not to stand aside and watch their fellow governor hampered by a party chairman whose actions may lead to political misfortune of the party in the state,” Oyegun said. – The Sun

– July 22, 2019 @ 8:57 GMT |

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