John Alechenu, Abuja
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Timi Frank, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the crisis rocking the party.
Frank made the appeal in an open letter he addressed to the President.
In the letter, which was made available in Abuja, on Sunday, Frank said the President should act fast in order to save the party from destruction.
He observed that the crisis within the party was a product of injustice, adding that it had sown the seed of discord among party members with many preparing to leave.
In the letter which was entitled, “An urgent appeal to save our party now,” Frank noted that the outburst by one of the party’s founding fathers, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was a testimony to the fact that all was not well with the ruling party.
The letter also recalled the position of a former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, who also faulted Odigie-Oyegun on the way the party was being run.
Frank said, “The recent outburst by one of our founding fathers and a national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, against the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, seems to be threatening the smooth sail and peaceful coexistence of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, and if nothing is done urgently; I’m afraid ‘the pot left on the fire will definitely burn.’”
He also said, “Mr. President, sir, I wish to reiterate my earlier stand on this matter and I am also elated that I have been vindicated in my struggle to save our party all this while, when so many thought I was a rebel or a paid apologist.
“It is, therefore, no secret that I was one of the very first persons in the party who took the bull by the horns and openly raised the alarm on urgent issues which had to be addressed in order to steer the APC ship in the right course.”
According to him, several appeals to get the Odigie-Oyegun-led leadership of the party to redirect its affairs fell on deaf ears as nobody took him seriously.
He recalled that the crisis which had snowballed into a major one began from the election of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
The acting party spokesman said he foresaw the impending cracks at the time when the party leaders ignored the injustice perpetrated against Saraki and Dogara by the system.
Frank said, “When I raised concerns against the manner in which Chief Odigie-Oyegun handled the conduct of the Bayelsa State governorship primary that produced the APC candidate, no one listened to me. The outcome of that election became a clear testament to my alleged fears.”
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