Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday insisted that the lingering feud between the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, and the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, remains a local matter, which does not involve the party in any way.
Edo State Government had on Monday petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Yusuf Binchi, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Oshiomhole, for allegedly consistently perpetrating the breakdown of law and order in the state.
Before the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party degenerated, the ruling party had last November constituted a National Reconciliation Committee, which was empowered to address the grievances of party members and resolve existing conflicts, all with a view to fostering unity and oneness within the party.
Also, in November, the National Working Committee (NWC) appointed the Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, to head the party’s five-member fact-finding committee for the APC chapter in Edo State.
Other members of the committee are: Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari; former governor of Oyo State, Chief Abiola Ajimobi; former governor of Borno State and serving senator, Kashim Shettima and Hon. Ahmed Wadada (Secretary).
The committee was mandated to meet with all disputing interests and present its findings to the party, as part of effort to find solution to the lingering crisis in the party in Edo State.
But two months after the setting up of the the national reconciliation committee, the ruling party has not inaugurated the committee.
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, while speaking with THISDAY in a telephone interview yesterday insisted that the media was misunderstanding the issue because it involves Oshiomhole.
He stated: “It is a local issue; it has nothing to do with us; it is a local Edo politics. The fact that the national chairman is involved may be that is why the media is misunderstanding the issue. It has nothing to do with the party; it is a local Edo matter
“There are issues in other states as well; may be it is because none of the players is a national chairman of the party, it is irrelevant to us, it is completely a local issue. I’m sure both of them have their respective aides who could speak on their behalf; it is not a party matter.”
Issa-Onilu emphasised that while the leadership of the party had set up a national reconciliation committee, he did not know when the committee is going to be inaugurated.
