Ondo Primary: APC national chairman Oyegun receive knocks from Lagos APC

The spokesperson for the Lagos Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Joe Igbokwe, says the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, demonstrated incompetence as a leader in his handling of the party’s governorship primary in Ondo State.

Igbokwe accused Odigie-Oyegun of placing his personal interest above that of the majority members of the party by allegedly sidetracking the views of the other members of the APC National Working Committee, who reviewed the controversial primary.

He accused Odigie-Oyegun of manipulating the process in favour of his preferred candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, against the position of the majority of the APC NWC members whom, he said, voted for the cancellation of the primary that produced Akeredolu as the party’s governorship candidate in Ondo State.

Igbokwe was quoted to have said this in a statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday.

He said, “Odigie-Oyegun approved the use of the tampered delegates’ list. Odigie-Oyegun unilaterally submitted the name of Akeredolu as the party’s candidate, although according to his admission, no vote was held.

“The four-day meeting of the NWC was called specifically to discuss the flawed Ondo primary. Yet, Odigie-Oyegun’s claimed that for nearly a week, he did not table a vote for the NWC to clearly decide whether the NWC would attach its official stamp to the flawed primary or reject it.

“Based on his own words, either Odigie-Oyegun admits to being grossly incompetent as a chairman of a national party that he could not steer the NWC to a simple vote, or that he was engaged in a game of subterfuge that would not permit a straightforward yes-or-no vote on the central issue.”

Igbokwe said Odigie-Oyegun’s statement on the issue was belated and unacceptable.

“If you read Oyegun’s statement, he said that an NWC member (who he did name), mentioned some collateral decision taken by the NWC.

“Odigie-Oyegun said the implication of that prior decision meant that the NWC wanted the primary to stand as it is. Thus, he took it upon himself and ruled to uphold the primary’s result,” he said.