*Insists ruling party now a Trojan horse
*Accuses the National Chairman of dictotorship
By Ezeocha Nzeh
The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum, Alhaji Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has warned that the party has continued to degenerate daily under the leadership of the embattled national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Lukman in a memo he sent on Sunday to the APC Reconciliation Committee, headed by the former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, described the APC National Chairman as “a dictator who is ruling the party with a group of sychophants”.
He regretted that “the APC has become a Trojan horse” under the former Edo state governor, who he accused of taking over the responsibilities of the National Working Committee (NWC), which made the APC to allegedly be confronted by “avoidable electoral tragedies”.
He said: “The perceived weaknesses of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC served as the justification of electing Adams Oshiomhole as replacement for him. Sadly, challenges of internal democracy and fair competitive practices during candidates’ selection processes in the party have remained a dream.
“Now, clearly the problems associated with candidates’ selection process has produced what can be regarded as an electoral college. Citizens can vote, but our Supreme Court will eventually determine the winner. All as a result of very poor management of candidates’ selection process by our party.
“Unfortunately, our party’s NWC is hardly able to come up with any reassuring response. The crisis in the party is clearly getting worse, and worse by the day. It has gotten to a stage whereby the competence of members of the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC has been eroded.
“We can win election and on account of some inabilities to competently manage legal challenges associated with nomination of candidates, we are compelled to surrender victory to our opponents.
“This is the narrative of the Supreme Court judgement of February 13, 2020 in respect of November 16, 2019 Bayelsa elections and the May 24, 2019, Supreme Court nullification of the election of all APC candidates in the 2019 elections in Zamfara State.
“In other words, our NWC can be described as a very efficient trojan horse that opens the backdoor for electoral victory to our political opponents. It is really unfortunate that we are faced with all the avoidable electoral tragedies that has befell us, all because our NWC has decided to abdicate its responsibility.
“Given what is going on now in APC under his watch, it is very clear that he is not that same Comrade Oshiomhole that was an inspiring union leader, who competently handled all organisational leadership challenges, to the admiration of Nigerians.
“Part of the problem now is that he is surrounded by sycophants, mainly from Edo State. Any attempt to help him through objective advice is condemned as betrayal especially when such advice comes from people who were close to him”.
Lukeman said that Oshiomhole has all of a sudden become intolerant to criticisms, who only sees criticisms as betrayal requiring disciplinary action and yet violates disciplinary procedures.
“As a result, Comrade Oshiomhole is today the leading accuser, prosecutor and judge in almost all cases where disciplinary actions have been administered in the party. The only probable exception may be the case in his Ward in Edo State where he is also being alleged to have been disciplined,” he said.
Lukeman said although he was not questioning the competence of the Akande-led Reconciliation Committee, he was only making the suggestions for his information.
He appeal to the Oshiomhole-led NWC to convene a meeting of the appropriate organs of the party – National Executive Council (NEC) or National Caucus where a decision setting aside all the disciplinary actions at all levels of the party, including the NWC would be taken.
This, according to him, “can serve as an icebreaking platform where some good pronouncements which can encourage all aggrieved leaders and party members to speak up without fear of intimidation.
“The hard truth is that as it stands today, APC is not a functional political party. None of its organs at any level is meeting as provided in the party’s constitution. It is even debatable if our membership register exists. At best, it will be the same old 2015 membership register.
“With such reality, any effort towards resolving our problems may have to commence with verifying the issue of who our party members are,” he said.
