The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
has finally reacted to the internal crisis rocking the ruling party.
Tinubu, in a statement signed and made available on Sunday, warned against ploys to undermine the National Chairman of the
party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
He said Oshiomhole’s contributions should not be undervalued
now that the bulk of elections are behind the party, adding that to do so would
be an act of ingratitude.
He said, “It is against this backdrop that we should view
the present ploys and plots to undermine the APC National Chairman. The
Chairman is human; thus, he has his merits as well as his flaws. Yet his
humanity cannot be grounds for his dismissal. If so, the position will forever
go vacant.
He said it was unfortunate that the Governor of Edo State
and the National Chairman are in dispute but revealed that the party has moved
through proper procedures within the appropriate organs of the party to resolve
this spat hopefully.
“All party members know this. Such decisions are part and
parcel of internal party governance. Yet, motivated by ambitions that have
nothing to do with the quality of the Chairman’s performance, people shunned
the agreed party reconciliation mechanism and resorted to other means to oust
him,” Tinubu added.
According to Tinubu, these self-help attempts are
unwarranted and reveal more about their perpetrators than they do about the
Chairman.
“The plotters launched their attack solely because they
perceive the Chairman as an obstacle to their 2023 ambitions.
“People went to court knowing full well the party
constitution prohibits such action because these people had not yet exhausted
all internal disciplinary procedures.
“We even had a national deputy secretary improperly call for
a NEC meeting on the basis that he believed himself the acting National
Chairman.
“Clearly, this man would not have summoned the temerity to
make such a move had he not been instigated by powerful individuals who he
thought would reward or, at least, protect him for committing the wrongful act.
“Those engaged in these maneuvers see themselves as clever
or cunning. They do so because they only understand the mean craft of political
intrigue. They have yet to understand the value and long-term utility of
democratic governance.
“Thus, they embark on the strangest of quests. They would
rather dismantle and weaken the institutional core of their party to gain
control of that weakened edifice in order to pilfer the party nomination, which
they crave. This is more than sad.
“Many of us expended sweat, tears, toil and sleepless nights
to build this party. Our personal sacrifices were not insignificant. We built
this party not simply as a vehicle for personal ambition. We built the party
because we saw it as perhaps the only enduring hope to bring progressive
governance to this nation. Those who now seek to abuse the party by using it as
their personal device do it great harm.
“They should not be allowed to sacrifice this collective
enterprise at the altar of their self-aggrandizement. Somehow, someway they
should find in themselves the bearing to adhere to the democratic spirit on
which the party was founded.
“To be an APC member means more than merely carrying a
membership card. It means to believe in a set of ideals and principles geared
to our highest purpose as a party and a nation.
“In a broader context, those afflicted with the 2023 virus
do a grave disservice to President Buhari and his administration. They should
be trying their best to help the president. Instead of seeing President Buhari
as our present leader and commander-in-chief, their sole contemplation is upon
his eventual exit.
“Yet, not even a full year has passed since his second
inaugural. How can they be committed to helping him realise his mandate when
the fullness of their gaze is affixed to seizing this very mandate for
themselves?
“The president is faced with many challenges. He is fighting
hard on security to keep the population safe. He is pushing for economic
reforms that will augur future sustainable growth. His disdain for corruption
remains unwavering. Add to it now the Corona crisis and its resultant social as
well as economic impact.
“Politicians express loyalty to him but the words of too
many of our politicians are like butter under a burning sun; they melt quickly
away. Better to be loyal in deed. Instead of trying to manipulate party and
other mechanisms solely to their political gain, it is time to shelve political
intrigue for the time being.
“It is time for all party members to truly see what is at
stake and work with Mr. President for the collective good of the nation.
“This means we must rally around President Buhari. Instead
of everyone saying they are working for the party and nation but going their
separate ways based on their selfish designs, we must help him build a stronger
national consensus on policies that will ensure safety and bring greater
prosperity.
“If need be and when called upon, we must offer ideas and
suggestions that move policy and progress forward. This is the time for
governance. It is not the moment to bring the politics of 2023 into 2020. In
due course, 2023 shall come. Nothing can prevent it. However, that time is not
today.
“If we are earnest, the present offers sufficient work and
challenges for us without trying to add to it by rushing the future. Let us
dedicate our energies to helping President Buhari win the present. In this way,
you better secure the future for the nation, the party and even for whatever
personal ambitions you may nurture.
“I have said what is on my mind in hopes that some people
may leave the 2023 frenzy and commit themselves to the harder yet more
rewarding task of improving progressive governance, whether within the party or
at the local, state or federal levels.
“Yet, I am not so naïve to think all will heed this counsel.
The stubborn, those obsessed with the obsession of their ambitions, will ignore
all advice. They will constantly pull 2023 into all that occurs in 2020.
“Their vision is blurred and judgment made faulty by their
ailment. We are democrats so we cannot physically quarantine them.
“However, we can quarantine their ideas and antics by not
falling prey to them. This is the best way we help President Buhari fulfil his
mandate and inoculate our party and the nation from grave folly,” the APC
National Leader said.
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