Oshiomhole running APC like an agbero – Oyegun

John Odigie-Oyegun APC chairman
Odigie-Oyegun

Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, has described current chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, as lacking capacity to run a political party.

Odigie-Oyegun who spoke through his public affairs adviser, Ray Morphy said Oshiomhole runs the party like an agbero (motor park tout).

Reacting to allegation that he was behind the current travails of his successor, the 79-year-old said the ex-labour leader is degrading and demarketing the party rather than bringing more people on board.

South-south APC state chairmen of the party had on Friday faulted call by the party’s deputy national chairman, north, Senator Lawali Shuaibu, calling on Oshiomhole to resign.

They said, “it was the landmines created by his (Oshiomhole’s) predecessor who was bent on destroying the party before departing that fuelled the unfortunate situation.”

Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Morphy said “that statement of booby traps is ludicrous and infantile, an attempt to drum up justification for the failings of the party under Oshiomhole chairmanship. Oshiomhole failed because he lacks the temperament that is required to run a political party.

“He lacks the capacity to manage the different interests and tendencies that constitute a political party. He engages his mouth before engaging his mind, so he offends party members. So, how does that constitute booby traps by Oyegun, the erstwhile chairman?

“Already, the Deputy National Chairman has confirmed that Oshiomhole runs the party with recourse to the NWC. He acts in direct opposite of decisions taken by NWC. No minutes of NWC meetings which in any event take place outside the party Secretariat.

“How would you not have crisis in states with the confusion that Oshiomhole created when he gave the states freedom to choose their methods of choosing candidates for elections. Much of the crisis in states arose out of sheer incapacity on the part of the current chairman. How has this Oshiomhole incapacity become booby traps by Oyegun?

“Many party men were aghast at the unfairness and injustice meted them during the primaries process. Only a bad carpenter quarrels with his tools. Indeed Oshiomhole is degrading and demarketing the party, rather than seek to bring more people on board, he is rather chasing people out of the party with his agbero style of engagement.”