Primaries: Buhari Meets Aggrieved Parties Tuesday

Presidential panel submits report on party crisis Amosun treatment justifies our exit from APC, says Saraki

Olawale Olaleye

Barring any last minute change, President Muhammadu Buhari has been scheduled to meet with all the aggrieved parties in the aftermath of the contentious primary elections that typified most of the state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a view to finding a lasting solution.

This is believed to be against the backdrop of a report recently submitted by a five-man panel set up by the president to look into the crisis in the affected states especially in Ogun and Zamfra States, which is said to have put so much pressure on the president to step in.

According to sources within the presidency, members of the panel included the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu; the Attorney-General, of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

This move is however coming at the same time Senate President Bukola Saraki has described as unjust and unfair, the current predicament of the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, saying his poor treatment has justified the basis of their exiting the APC at the time he and his people did.

Saraki, who spoke exclusively to THISDAY, recalled the role played by the Ogun State Governor in the period President Buhari was very sick in faraway London, the United Kingdom and proclaimed: ‘Amosun was a true friend of the president’.

But disturbed by the distraction the aftermath of the party crisis has since caused, the president has resolved to intervene in all states with lingering crisis, relying on both security reports and the findings of his five man panel

The president is said to have realised that the Oshiomole-must-go agenda was real especially with the involvement of governors, NWC members and some close allies of his, who maintained they could no longer work with him.

He has therefore set Tuesday aside to address the matter once and for all and in all the states affected.

Concerned about the way Amosun was being treated in the matter concerning the primary elections in the state, Saraki, who said he would not interfere in what is purely an APC affair, maintained that Amosun was not one to be treated or made to go through such torture.

Saraki said his respect for Amosun on his relationship with the president shot up, when Buhari was very sick and there were misgivings across the country especially on what should have been the role of the National Assembly at such a testy period, he said it was only Amosun, who was true to his relationship with Buhari as he was constantly in touch with the National Assembly members, just to make sure everything was fine.

“Honestly, we saw no one else but Amosun. I was surprised that of all the friends that the president had, he was the only one who kept in touch with the National Assembly, making sure nothing went wrong from our end. He would make phone calls and sometime appeared physically.

“He watched the president’s back at a most critical time. Of course, the president has many friends, but he proved to be more than just a friend at the time. Besides, as a thorough politician, he was smart enough to know what to do, while many of those gallivanting around today were scheming and plotting all sorts,” he said.

While subtly chiding the APC, he said it took the grace of God for him to be led out of the party, wondering what the new national leadership of the party would have done to him had he stayed behind.

“Imagine if I had stayed back in that party. These guys would have taken the party from me and chased me out. In fact, they would not have sold the senate form to me. Can you see that my leaving the APC was God’s doing and I’m thankful to God for leading me right to make the perfect decision. Who, in his wildest dreams would have thought Amsoun would be treated this why? What a party!” he said.

On Atiku’s campaign, he said they were going to roll out soon and that when they do, it would be with a bang, adding that everything was clearly in favour of the former vice-president to take over power in next year’s election.

“You know what we are capable of doing and you know we are not the type that is given to vainglory. You know we don’t run our mouth.

We are not just banking on the fact that everything is playing in our favour to win the election next year, we will however roll out big time, giving it all that it takes to win. We would take nothing for granted and will attack the elections with all our might,” he said.