• More facts on how Akeredolu emerged
From Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja
If all things go as planned, some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) will demand will demand the resignation of National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The demand is against his alleged role in the party’s Ondo governorship primary.
The planned move may take place during the party’s NWC meeting slated for today or Wednesday, against the backdrop of minutes of its emergency meetings on September 20 and 22, as well as other documents detailing how the APC leadership settled for Chief Rotimi Akeredolu as the party’s governorship candidate.
APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank confirmed that some NWC members will demand Oyegun’s resignation during the meeting over the handling of Ondo primaries.
“I can confirm to you that some NWC members will revolt against the chairman; they will demand he quits his office. I also know that some NWC members who are on his side will reject the demand”, he told Daily Sun.
Frank also issued a statement asking Oyegun to publish minutes of the NWC meeting where the decision to back Akeredolu was taken.
“Chief Oyegun should tell the world why he brushed aside the suggestion of National Youth Leader, Hon. Dasuki Jalo, who suggested that the party should submit an interim name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pending the time a political solution will be find to the matter. But, Oyegun and few others who benefitted from the corruption that produced Akeredolu as governorship candidate of our party did not see wisdom in what the national youth leader said.
“Chief Oyegun’s few responses to the many of allegations raised by our leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu can never hold water. For example, the chairman and his cohorts contradicted themselves when Oyegun said there was no voting at all but he forgot that National Vice chairman, Hilliard Eta told newsmen that there was voting, which was in agreement with the position of the party’s South-west National Vice Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, who also said that the NWC members actually voted on the Ondo State Governorship Appeal Panel Report.
“This was what Oyegun said in his statement: “Also, voting on the issue became unnecessary and never took place in view of the NWC’s rejection of the Appeal Committee’s report.”
However, minutes of the two meetings obtained by Daily Sun, as well as other documents on the primary showed who and who voted for and against the submission for of Akeredolu’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the flag-bearer of the party.
The first NWC emergency meeting was attended by 15 members. They were Oyegun, his deputy (South), Segun Oni, his deputy (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, Zonal vice chairmen- Emmanuel Eneukwu, Prince Hilliard Etagbo Eta, Pius Akinyelure and Mallam Zakari Idde.
Others included National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa, National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso, National Auditor, George Moghalu, National Financial Secretary, Tajudeen Olaotan Bello, National Youth Leader, Ibrahim Dasuki Jalingo and Deputy National Secretary, Ohi Ngofa.
The duo of Dr. Muniz Banire and Hajiya Tijjani Aliyu, National Legal Adviser and National Women Leader, respectively, were absent.
The party officials spoke extensively on the contentious delegate lists and resolved that “in order to establish the truth regarding the delegates list and, in line with the suggestion made by the National Vice Chairman (South South), the meeting resolved that the Izunaso should circulate the two contentious delegates list to the NWC members the following day.
“This will enable members ascertain the level of disparity and whether it has the tendency of substantially affecting the outcome of the primary…”
The members anchored their position on the ground that “the Appeal Committee failed to invite the National Secretariat to authenticate or otherwise disclaim the source of the disputed delegates list as the custodian.
“The Appeal Committee failed to invite the Chairman or members of the Ondo State governorship primary election committee to clarify on the allegation of manipulation on the accreditation process. It rather chose to rely on unsubstantiated evidence (s) of probably procured witnesses as basis for the nullification of the primary.
“The NWC observed a serious contradiction in the Appeal Committee’s report in respect of the number of the accredited delegates. Whereas the primary Election Committee’s report indicated 2,774 delegates were accredited , the appeal committee’s report erroneously recorded it as those who voted in the election, thereby creating false impression of over voting in the exercise.
An official of the party who declined to be named said the decision to endorse Akeredolu as the party’s candidate was not foisted on the party by the leadership.
He submitted that the resolution of the NWC and the advice of the National Legal Adviser was instrumental to the decision taken by the leadership.
Part of Banire’s recommendation indicated that, “the test used by the Appeal Committee is never used in the determination of issues. As stated by the committee, there were also positive reports that equally believed the credible nature of the process endears us to the populace. The reason why such perceptive positions are never applied in this situation leaves much to be desired.
“Finally, the rule of election is that once there is substantial compliance, the election must be upheld. This much the Appeal Committee agreed with but, suddenly, somersaulted for reasons best known to it.
“ The delegates’ list, from my opening submission, is valid and emanated from proper custody. The process of conducting the election was robust but the Appeal Committee relied on other extraneous issues which are spurious.”