APC chairmanship: Northern leaders back Oyegun for second term

…Berate Kila, Galadima, Oyewole for anti-Oyegun statement
Northern leaders on Wednesday raised their voice in protest against critics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

The leaders said they were shocked by the reported comments of some individuals on the leadership of Nigeria’s ruling political party.

At a strategic planning meeting in Yola, the leaders hit back at Prof Anthony Kila, Engr. Buba Galadima and Peter Oyewole, telling them to keep their opinions to themselves.

In a statement in Yola by the chairman of APC United Front, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa, the leaders called the comments of Kila, Galadima and Oyewole “myopic and brash”.

According to them, “Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has taken Nigerian politics to a new level. He has increased the bar,” the leaders said.

They praised the national chairman of the ruling party for his thoughts and creative modes of administration.

“We are encouraged by Oyegun’s excellent performance,” the leaders said.

Specifically, the leaders extolled Oyegun for promoting transparency, ethics and accountability in the country, building a strong political party, creating a sense of unity among members of the ruling party, mobilising potential voters and recruiting new members for the party.

“Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is a rallying point for the maintenance of the party’s brand. He is sailing with the need of the time.”

They commended Oyegun for articulating the party’s position on restructuring, building strong systems and effective structures and lavishing attention on leaders at the state and zonal levels.

“Oyegun has the right vision, temperament and knows how to shape the destiny of the ruling party and the country. He has done a lot of concrete things in the past three years. There is internal democracy in the ruling APC,” the leaders declared, adding that they were backing Oyegun for a second term.

“We are of the firm conviction that we should whole heartedly throw our weight behind Chief John Odigie-Oyegun”

They also praised President Muhammadu Buhari for tackling corruption, maintaining a strong fiscal discipline in the overall public sector and rationalising expenditure.

“Buhari will clinch the Presidency of Nigeria in 2019,” the leaders said, adding that Kila, Galadima and Oyewole have sought to deceive Nigerians by false statements.

Patrick Okohue