Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has urged his National Chairman Chief
John Odigie-Oyegun to “honourably resign his position to embrace farming
in his home town instead of politics.”
Comrade Frank, while urging his party to learn how to run party
administration from the main opposition People Democratic Party (PDP),
also challenged APC NWC to tell the world if President Buhari is no longer
the leader of APC.”
Recall that the APC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
had told newmen shortly after NEC meeting that the previous decision taken
by NEC on tenure elongation still stand despite Buhari’s declaration.
Frank, who was reacting in a statement he signed on Thursday in Abuja, to
President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of tenure elongation for the
current National Working Committee (NWC) and other executives at all
levels, believe that Chief Oyegun’s tenure as the party’s National
Chairman had done more damages than good to the ruling party.
He said: “I’m telling Chief Oyegun to retire now before he disgrace
President Buhari because it is shameful and disgraceful for NWC to say
Buhari is not the leader of the APC. This is a way of disgracing him
before Nigerians and entire world that President has no say in his own
party.
“I remember several times the party under Chief Oyegun could not hold
meeting, not to talk of taking any decision because the President, who
they claimed to be leader of the party then was not available. So, we want
to know what has change now? When it is time to take decision in their
favour, Buhari is the leader of APC but when the president took certain
decision against Oyegun and his NWC, Buhari is no longer the leader. This
is an embarrassment to the president.
“I expect our National Chairman and APC to go and learn how to run a
ruling party from PDP. There is no crime in learning what you don’t know.”
The deputy spokesman, while commending President Muhammadu Buhari, for his
opposition to what he described as illegality, saying, though Oyegun ought
to have been fired long before now due to lack of respect for APC
constitution and other impunity under his watch.
Frank, however declared that he will resign his position as the Deputy
National Publicity Secretary of APC at the expiration of his tenure to
pave way for new leaders, saying “I will not be part of illegal tenure
extension.”
According to the Bayelsa born politician, it was surprising that NWC under
Chief John Oyegun that has failed to resolve one crisis out of many,
rocking nearly all the state chapters of the governing party could ask for
tenure extension.
Frank said he has no regret whatsoever for opposing Chief Oyegun style of
leadership and laudably spoken against it ever since he discovered that
such leader (Oyegun) lack capacity to lead a governing party.
He said had it been the presidency and other national leaders of APC
listened to him when he was speaking against impunity and selfishness of
Oyegun led-national excos, may be the crisis APC is going through would
have been minimised.