APC Primary Crisis: VON’s DG Accuses Oshiomhole of Nepotism

APC Primary Crisis: VON’s DG Accuses Oshiomhole of Nepotism

Akeredolu, others plotting against Buhari, Tinubu, Oshiomhole, group alleges

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has criticised the role played by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, in the recent primary elections conducted by the party, accusing him of impunity.

In a statement issued yesterday, Okechukwu alleged that the Primary Election Appeal panel constituted by Oshiomhole was made up of his cronies from Edo State.

He said Oshiomhole by his actions is guilty of impunity, circumvention of due process and disrespect to the party.

The VON DG, who contested for the APC senatorial ticket in Enugu West, alleged that there were uncountable members of the gubernatorial, Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly panels from Edo State.

“There is no natural justice, equity and fair play when Oshiomhole populated or rather corrupted the primary with his Edo Field Commanders interalia,” he said.

But a group loyal to Oshiomhole, the Federation of Buhari Support Group, stormed the national secretariat of the APC yesterday, accusing six governors elected on the APC’s platform of plotting against the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and undermining President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection bid.

The governors being accused by the group are Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State; Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Jibrila Bindow of Adamawa State.

In what looked like a counter move to shore up support for Oshiomhole, groups numbering seven said they were happy with the leadership style of Oshiomhole.

In a statement jointly signed by the Coordinator of the groups, Alhaji Ibrahim Sikiru, and Publicity Secretary, Gbenga Bojuwomi, the Oshiomhole allies alleged that Akeredolu is leading other five governors in a determined effort to discredit three personalities in APC, Buhari, Tinubu and Oshiomhole.

The group alleged that Akeredolu is not happy with all the actions taken by APC NWC to reunite the party with a view to bringing democracy to the door-step of party members by the adoption of direct primaries for all elections.

The group said a lot of damage has been done underground by the conser-vative governors to thwart the bright chances of the party in the forthcoming general
election.

In the statement, the group alleged that Akeredolu he has been running from North to South collecting signatures of governors and party chairmen of various states to pass vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole.

“Akeredolu is purely a mole in APC, it would be recalled that he worked alongside Fayemi and Amosun against the party’s choice in Osun State election.

“Right now, he has instructed all his loyalists and cabinet members in Ondo State to work against all party’s candidates in Ondo State during the general election,” he stated.

The group said it supports the leadership of the party led by Oshiomhole and his determination to position the party for landslide victory in the forth-coming elections.

Meanwhile some APC women aspirants have accused the party leadership marginalising women, threatening to mobilise protest vote against the party in 2019 general election.

The women, who claimed to be aspirants of the APC yesterday, took protest to the national secretariat of the party, alleging that the party marginalised them in the just concluded primary elections nationwide.

Speaking with journalists during the protest, one of the aspirants from Imo State, Millicent Duru, said despite paying amount of money for nomination and Expression of Interest forms, the ruling APC marginalised them at primaries nationwide.

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