Timi Frank lauds Atiku, Saraki over comments on APC

Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has said the recent comments credited to the former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Senate President Bukola Saraki, over the ongoing mismanagement of the party has vindicated him.

Frank commended the two national leaders for summoning courage to speak out against what he described as undemocratic tendencies of the current National Working Committee (NWC) saying that the “party is dead but not yet buried under the current dispensation.”

In a statement signed on Sunday in Abuja, Timi Frank said the real lovers of APC are the ones speaking out their minds having waited for two years without any improvement on the part of the working committee “that is practically leading the party to destruction.”

Both Atiku and Saraki came down hard penultimate week on the running of APC by the current NWC under Chief Oyegun.

Atiku decried the party’s inability to hold meetings of their organs, including those meant for the democratic selection of their leadership, or even constitute institutions prescribed in their constitution, calling it a “bulling party”.

Quoting Atiku according in the statement: “the absence of those meetings and elections, their existing leadership, often under the direction of the executive at the state or federal level, fill the void. That’s not party building but party bullying. And it’s certainly not a way to democratize parties and aggregate their members’ opinions, interests and aspirations.”

For the Senate President Saraki, who spoke at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum two days later said the APC leadership headed by its national chairman, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, lacked focus.

Frank said: “I am happy that some of our leaders are now speaking out against the lack of internal democracy I have been fighting for all this while. It is still not too late if others will shun sentiments and see reasons to quickly rescue APC from the current handlers who are merchants and without minds of their own.”

Meanwhile, Frank has strongly condemned the suspension of APC Chairman in Bayelsa state by the NWC, saying the party leadership has committed a great error against the constitution of the party.

“If there are allegations against state party chairman, it is expected of the NWC to set up a panel of enquiry to investigate these allegations and give the chairman in question a fair hearing and not suspension like in this case.

“Like I have been saying, Nigerians will now see the excesses of Chief Oyegun led NWC and how the suppose leaders are creating unnecessary crisis by taking sides practically in all state chapters of the federation.”

The APC chieftain believe that it is not the best time for the party to suspend anybody but time to embark on genuine reconciliation, adding that “all what the party NWC has been doing were displaying of impunity.