Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
Ahead of the June 23rd National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a chieftain of the party and the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu on Sunday predicted that the convention will not only be rancour-free, but will witness mass defections from other parties to the APC.
Okechukwu, who spoke against the background of the crisis that trailed the party’s congresses, said since the entire tendencies within the party share a common ground in their support for President Muhammadu Buhari, the convention will further strengthen the party.
He equally predicted that most of the delegates would vote for former Edo State Governor Adams Oshimole as the chairman of the party since President Buhari had endorsed him.
“To be honest, in spite of conflicting reports of parallel congresses, one envisages a hitch-free national convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on 23rd because we have President Muhammadu Buhari who from every index is the presumptive consensus candidate, come 2019 presidential election.
“Mr President is more like a guardian post for our great party. He is the canopy covering us all from bad weather.
“Remember that what we operate is a presidential system, where unlike the parliamentary system the supremacy of the party is less profound. Every president in all presidential systems I know, be it in the United States, tailors the cloth of the party to his size,” he said.
Speaking further, Okechukwu said: “We are lucky that President Buhari is not a power-monger like His Excellency, ex-president, Dr Olusegun Obasanjo who during his tenure took ownership of the PDP and was changing chairmen like rappers – dropped Solomon Lar of blessed memory, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Dr Ahmadu Ali amongst others.”
He also dismissed the rumour making the rounds that Governor Rochas Okorocha may use his position as the chairman, Appeals Sub-committee of Screening Committee to disqualify Senator Osita Izunaso, Hon. Emma Eneukwu and Chief George Moughalu.
“I don’t speculate, and I don’t think so, more so I’m aware that President Buhari canvassed for waiver for members of the National Working Committee, which was upheld by the National Executive Committee on March 27, 2018.
“Secondly, Governor Aminu Masari Screening Committee to the best of my knowledge didn’t disqualify or recommend disqualification of any of them.
“Therefore, Governor Okoroacha knows he has no powers to simulate petitions to disqualify them, for its trite law that you cannot build something out of nothing. It will be ingenious and unlawful for other members to allow him,” he said.
On the connection between the gulf created by the fractious parallel congresses and the presumed consensus presidential candidate, he said: “My observation is that all the tendencies and factions have a common ground, which in simple translation is the endorsement of Mr President. Mr President is our common denominator, we are all his supporters, hence citing political parlance, the struggle is for the control of party structure for 2023 general election.
“In addition, those who lost in the congresses are not only loyalists to Buhari, but are aware of the truism that they were swimming against the tide of the provisions of APC’s Constitution, which mandated the National Working Committee, subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee to make rules and regulations for nomination of candidates. Nobody has the right to reverse the national delegates list validly elected during the local government congress.”
