Northern APC governors resist attempts to force Oyegun's removal

macfranc007 October 30, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Jerrywright Ukwu

- An influential caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have reportedly perfected plans to remove the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

- This is as the party holds its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday, October 31

- Oyegun has been battling forces in the party hell-bent on dislodging him from his position

A report by Daily Sun indicates that the plot to remove APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is gathering momentum.

Media reports last week alleged that seventeen governors on the platform of the APC are currently plotting to remove Oyegun as national chairman of the ruling party.

The plot against Oyegun is said to be spearheaded by his kinsmen in the South-south region of the country.

The report also stated that some leaders in the southwest are also in support of Oyegun’s removal.

According to the report, the sub-caucus of the party in the region has allegedly teamed up with a former southern governor to firm up the plot against Oyegun and have listed some sins against the national chairman.

The grouse of the party chieftains is Oyegun’s perceived loyalty to the presidency and his inability to rein in on APC members in the build-up to the election of principal officers in the National Assembly in 2015.

A source quoted in the report said: “After that seeming indiscipline, others within the party knew they could go against the party and they would not be called to order. That was exactly what happened in Osun west senatorial district election in July.

“Besides, do you know that the party’s governors and influential members do not fund the party? They have distanced themselves because they believe the leadership favours a particular section to the disadvantage of others.”

In a similar vein, the national convener of APC Youth Solidarity Network (APC-TSN), Danesi Momoh Prince corroborated plots to remove Oyegun, in an October 27 position paper addressed to the national chairman, the national caucus and NEC.

APC-TSN said the position paper was “an independent scorecard of the party’s national leadership since the party’s victory in 2015 and the task ahead in the lead-up to the 2019 polls.”

On the way forward for the party, the group acknowledged, “there have been alleged schemes to remove the party’s national chairman…because of his perceived loyalty to Mr. President.”

The group alleged that the plot against Oyegun is aimed at achieving sinister political ends in the lead-up to the 2019 general elections.

“If the plan succeeds, it will allow the sponsors install their stooges and hijack the party in the lead-ups to the elections. This is a red flag that the president must take seriously and thwart,” the group said.

Meanwhile, some party leaders in the north have resolved to checkmate the southern plot against Oyegun.

Some governors in the northwest zone and two, from the northeast, have reportedly teamed up to thwart any move to remove Oyegun.

“He steered us to win in 2015 and we believe he can do it again,” said a media aide to one of the governors.

It was gathered that Oyegun had scheduled a flurry of meetings ahead of the NWC meeting.

The embattled chairman reportedly met with APC state chairmen and hours later, some NEC members. The last meeting was with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The first three meetings, a National Assembly source said, were to “put the position of the party together before the two big meetings.”

On his part, an APC chieftain, Tijani Abdullah Markafi said Oyegun’s problem could probably have stemmed from his inability to decode President Muhammadu Buhari’s “body language.”

His words: “President Muhammadu Buhari’s actions or inaction towards core party affairs has not helped matters and could pose a serious problem, if he seeks reelection in 2019.

“It is quite possible that part of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun’s problem is trying to align party decisions and actions with the “body language” of President Buhari. However, while this may be healthy for the administration of the country, this would naturally go against the grains of those with presidential ambitions.”

Recently, an APC chieftain accused President Muhammadu Buhari of running Nigeria with a divided political party.

The chieftain, Charles Idahosa, who was a former commissioner of information said the APC under the leadership of Oyegun is weak.

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