APC Aspirants In Court Working For Opposition – Oshiomhole

Patrick OdeyDecember 7, 2018

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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said that some aspirants of the party who are currently in court over the last party primaries were actually working for opposition parties.

Oshiomhole made the claim on Thursday while addressing a consultative meeting of the APC NWC, governorship candidates, and state chairmen at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.

He observed that some aggrieved aspirants were seeking justice and asking the courts to declare them winners and candidates of APC in the forthcoming elections, and pointed out that those asking the court to declare that APC did not hold any primaries were working for the opposition.

He said: “I am aware that we have some instances with some people who have chosen to go to court and they are in two parts: those who are asking the court to declare them as winner.

“It is not easy to comment on such cases but where people are going to court that there was no primaries, such persons are not looking for solutions.

“Such persons are more or less agents of opposition because, based on their prayers, our party would have no candidates in such states.

“The implication is that the opposition is unopposed. So, we have to distinguish between those who are in court in pursuance of justice and in fairness and those working for the opposition.”

He also urged the candidates to play active role in the ongoing reconciliation by reaching out to aggrieved members and running inclusive campaigns that exclude no one.

The APC national chairman said the actions and inactions of the candidates would go a long way in either healing the wounds and reconciling the aggrieved members back to the mainstream or deepen the divisions.

He also cautioned the state chairmen to make the structures of the party available to all candidates.

“Your actions will help the process of reconciliations. It could also deepen division.

“For example, in constituting your campaign organisations, if you want to find out that those who want to be governor like you or who has what it takes to be a governor, or somehow the primaries did not favour, I think it is left for you to identify such persons and make conscious efforts in making them part of your campaign organisations.

“If possible, ask them to lead the campaign because when you find out, I think it will be helpful,” Oshiomhole said.

In his response, Governor Mohammed Isah Bello of Niger State said the party in the state had taken the bold step in refunding the cost of nomination forms to aggrieved aspirants in the state to quicken the healing and reconciliation process, and urged other governors to do the same.

He warned that the party was losing time in calling for urgent action in mobilising support in the state.

Bello said: “It is good that we are one united APC and together on one platform.

“I think we should start working together. We are already losing time even though it is not too late.

“We are going to come out in full force even though we cannot take things for granted.

“What is left now is for us to return to our states and start putting up formidable campaign structures to take off.

“Many have been asking when we are going to kick-start the campaign, which is an indication that people still love the party. They cannot wait to see us start.”

On his part, Governor Solomon Lalong of Plateau State urged all Abuja-based politicians in the party to return to their villages and campaign for party.

He said all politics is local. He said a situation where governors toiled to elect leaders only to be shoved aside by Abuja-based politicians would not augur well for the party.

Meanwhile, the APC consultative meeting, which had state chairmen and secretaries in attendance, passed a vote of confidence in the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Oshiomhole.

It also urged the candidates to run issue-based and inclusive campaigns, while frowning at attempts by some leaders of the party to polarize the APC in their domain.

A statement by Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, said the meeting, among other things, resolved that party leaders must campaign for all candidates of the party (presidential, governorship, and legislative positions).

“A situation where leaders engage in selective support by picking and choosing candidates to campaign for and support was declared anti-party,” the statement said.