Ondo 2020: Leave Us Alone, You Are the Worst Plague that Ever Afflicted Our Party, APC Group Blasts Oyegun

An interest Group within the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, APC Youths Assembly, has slammed the immediate past National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, over his recent comment on the forthcoming governorship election in the State, saying he lacks the moral responsiblity to advise the Party on how to conduct its primaries due to his ignominious role in the 2016 governorship primary that polarised the party in Ondo state.

The group alleged that Mr Oyegun conducted the most controversial primary election in the history of the APC, especially in Ondo State, saying the State chapter of the Party is still faced with the ripples from the complications of the role he played in the last governorship primary in 2016. It also accused him as the mastermind of the the division rocking the APC in the State today, calling him “a saboteur of the goodwill of the people”.

The former Chairman had on Thursday, in a press statement, solicited for the duo of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to be returned unopposed in the coming primaries of the Party in the two States.

“Oyegun should leave us alone and not interfere in the affairs of our State. We have not totally overcome the effect of his handiwork in 2016. He must be enjoying how badly that has crumbled the unity of the Party in Ondo State,” the group said.

Reacting to Oyegun’s statement, Comr. Adifala Ologun, the leader of the group in a statement issued in Akure on Friday, said, Ch. Oyegun’s regime as the National Chairman of the APC was characterized with corruption and anti-party activities, “his leadership had brought no good but harm to the Party in Ondo State”.

Ologun said the divison within the Party today is the aftermath of the 2016 primary elections and has left the party struggling to hold its family together ever since.

“We are too cultured here to engage an elder in a war of words but this has to do with the future of the Party in Ondo State and ourselves as individuals. It is a new threat to the One-APC family we are rebuilding and we cannot afford the repeat of the past. Maybe things would have been done differently if we had raised our voice in 2016”. Adifala said.

“After superintending over an election that was a glaring rape of democracy and subversion of the goodwill of Ondo State people, Pa Oyegun lacks every sense of responsibility to advise on Party primary or any election with what played out in 2016. The 2016 primary election in Ondo State that largely polarised the APC family was due to his imposition of an unpopular candidate on the Party through rigging and against the overall interest of the entire members of the Party”.

The group stated further that, “The same Chief Oyegun that acted contrary to the recommendations of the National Working Committee, NWC and bypassed the decision of the Appeal Committee in 2016 cannot teach morals, and equally has no justification to advise on how to conduct a free, fair and credible election anywhere in the world.

“Since Chief Oyegun had also failed to offer his piece of advice to the candidate he imposed on the Party when he resulted into anti party activities, sponsoring candidates of an opposition party AA against the APC that brought him to power during the 2019 National Assembly election, he can as well keep his advice to himself on the forthcoming election. That singular act of his backdoor product cost the Party 2 Senatorial seats, 4 Representatives seats and lost the presidential election to the opposition Party in the State,” the group stated.

The group said the Party is committed to correcting the mistake of the past in the coming primary election in order to return the Party to its winning ways in Ondo State, saying it is convinced beyond any doubt that the July 20 primary election under the leadership of the present National Chairman of the Party, Comr. Adams Oshiomole will be free, fair and credible compared to what was conducted by the Oyegun regime in 2016.

“Oyegun should respect himself and behave like a respected elder stateman. He should stop causing commotion within the party and allow the performing National Chairman, Comr. Adams Oshiomole to continue to do his good works of rebuilding the Party. Those who are not comfortable with him are the indisciplined ones who are not happy to see sanity and respect for Party supremacy returned to the APC,” the group said.