Tenure elongation: APC won’t go beyond 2019 – Party chieftain

…We were not Expecting a total support -Oyegun

ABUJA: ‘Suspended’ Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC Comrade Timi Frank, has expressed disappointment at the decision taken by the National Executive Committee NEC which extended the tenure of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun led National Working Committee NWC and others for another 12 months.

Frank said the party has proved to the world that it does not respect even its own laid down rules and guidelines which he said does not give room for such decision.
However, Chief Odigie-Oyegun has said the party was not expecting everyone to tag along with the NEC, saying people were entitled to support any cause they believe in.
The APC NEC meeting had on Tuesday voted in favour of the tenure elongation by 12 months for all the executives of the party at all levels.
Oyegun said: “Well, I don’t want to talk on this sensitive political issue. Suffice it to say that whatever is happening, naturally, there will be contrary views. So, it will be so difficult if you come out with total, one hundred per cent unanimity but I think the reasons not wanting to hold some of these elective congresses this year is very clear; we have such a mighty work to do this one year and each one has potential of causing crisis.
“We are going to have first set of party elections, second set of elections to governmental aspirants, and other House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and so on.
“So, we just felt we could defer some of these issues or the party felt some of these challenges can be deferred for one year for us to concentrate on the serious task before us which is the national elections, and people gave the good examples of Ekiti and Osun last time where because of this same issue of election being due in those two states, the filling of party offices had to be deferred”, he explained.
But reacting to the development, Frank described the tenure elongation as laughable, saying it has shown that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP is far better than APC when it comes to internal democracy.
“I am personally disappointed with the tenure extension of Chief John Oyegun led leadership. This has clearly shown that APC is an undemocratic party. A party which has been in existence for three years but has never obeyed its own constitution. I challenge anybody to tell me which part of the APC constitution has been religiously obeyed in the past? This has shown again the difference between PDP and APC, but I know that the former is better.
“I will not relent in speaking the truth which I am known for. This decision is against the wish of the majority but for the oppressors within the party.”
While making reference to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s call for the resignation of Chief Oyegun’s NWC, Frank said: “Even when the presidency had appointed the National Leader of APC to reconcile all the aggrieved members, the tenure elongation clearly show that the party is going nowhere beyond 2019 because if they didn’t believe in Tinubu’s reconciliatory panel why did they set it up at all?
“How can you keep a man that lacks capacity to lead a governing political party for another twelve months? This has shown that those who took such decision are selfish and does not mean well for APC.”
Frank also observed that injustice against most members of former New PDP that eventually joined APC were clear indications that the governing party does not believe in democratic tendencies.
“Some of us that came from PDP have not been treated well, even the positions being held today by the Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara were forcefully taken.
“Time will tell very soon when some of us will have to take decision against some of these anti-democratic tendencies of some people in APC,” Frank stated.

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