Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has called on stakeholders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomole as he stabilises the party.
The Imo governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, stated that Oshiomole’s emergence saved APC from implosion.
He observed that the party would have totally collapsed if the former National Chairman of the party, Odigie Oyegun and the National Working Committee were allowed to pilot the affairs of the party for another one year as proposed with the tenure elongation.
According to Okorocha, “with the scenarios that have played out within the fold of the APC, at the moment and in less than one month after the National Convention of the Party, it is obvious that the emergence of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman has saved the party from an impending catastrophe”.
“With the unfolding developments in the party, the story would have been very nauseating if there was no National Convention and if Adams Oshiomhole had not emerged as the National Chairman of the Party”.
“It can also be argued that some of the proponents of tenure elongation were innocently doing so without having an overview of the entire disturbing picture behind the scheming for elongation of tenure. All these defections, as we all could see, were never planned in the past few weeks. The coming of Oshiomhole just forced the cat out of the bag.
“With the events too, leaders of the party could now see the wisdom in jettisoning the clamour for tenure elongation for the John Oyegun led National Working Committee (SWC) members, and opting for a National Convention to elect new officers. In the circumstance, those who opposed the elongation stuff and insisted on convention should now be commended”.
Okorocha was also quoted as saying that, “one could easily imagine what would have been the case if the party had allowed the Oyegun-led SWC to continue and what would have happened at the party’s primaries especially that of Presidency.
“What is happening in the party now could not have been planned and executed within these few weeks Oshiomhole took over as the National Chairman of the party. Rather, his coming only altered the plan of those who wanted to destroy APC to serve personal interests.
“When the issue of elongation came up, we heard a lot of stories why some of those behind the undemocratic demand were persistent on that. That, there was an arrangement somewhere to shortchange President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential primary for 2019. And with events of the moment, that claim has got an alibi.
“In other words, Oshiomhole’s coming was timely. He came at the appropriate time. He is on it and will get it right. All we need to do is to support him. APC has come to stay as number one party in the Country and even in Africa. And whatever that is happening in the party now are indices of Party Politics and they have nothing to do with the fortunes of the party either now or in 2019.
“In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari will be re-elected by Nigerians. The Party will also have more governors and more legislators elected by the electorate because the records are available to show that we have done well in four years compared with the sixteen years spent by the other party.
“Adams Oshiomhole has the political will and all it takes to make APC an institution that we shall all be proud of. We know his capacity and that was why we all supported him. He will drive us safely to our destination by the grace of God”. (The Nation)
