Timi Frank, the deputy national publicity secretary of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to use his position to push for the resignation of the party’s chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun.
In an open letter released on Sunday, October 2, 2016, Mr. Frank slammed the party’s chairman accusing him of being a central figure in the party’s crisis.
He said so many members and APC leaders are already contemplating leaving because “injustice had become the order of the day” under Oyegun and that the chairman had no capacity to resolve the crisis rocking the party.
Last week, national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu had called for the resignation of Chief Oyegun, accusing the APC chairman of a number of undemocratic actions. Tinubu was particularly angry over the outcome of the party’s decision on the controversial Ondo primaries.
Below is the full text of the letter.
Mr President Sir,
It is with great enthusiasm and patriotism that I’ve decided to write you once again through this open letter to intimate you on the impending danger that could befall our great party and I’m optimistic that this letter will serve its urgency and purpose of reaching you and our leaders and elders of our great party.
Mr. President sir, I wish to reiterate my earlier stand on this matter and I’m also elated that I’ve been vindicated in my struggle to save our party all the while, when so many thought of me as a rebel or paid apologist.
It is therefore no secret that I was one of the very first persons in the party who took the bull by the horn and openly raised the alarm of urgent issues which had to be addressed in other to steer the APC ship in its right course.
Suffice to say that all my efforts to plead with the party leadership to redirect its affairs fell on deaf ears as no one took me seriously at the time.
You may recall Mr President, that the origin of this crisis began when the issue of the national assembly leadership arose and the decision of the party at the time against party members, especially against the senate president and speaker of the house of representative. I foresaw the impending cracks at the time when the party leaders ignored the injustice against these two persons and I subsequently raised viable concerns which still fell on deaf ears.
Again, when I raised concerns against the manner in which Chief Oyegun handled the conduct of the Bayelsa state governorship primaries that produced the APC candidate, no one listened to me, and alas the outcome of that election became a clear testament to my alleged fears.
Subsequently, when my immediate boss, Alhaji Lai Mohammed became the minister of information, I was supposed to immediately fill in the gap and act in his stead as enshrined in our party constitution as the acting national publicity secretary of the party, but this was not to be as I was out rightly being persecuted for reasons unknown and perhaps for selfish interest.
I was deprived from performing my duties and my duties assigned to themselves. It is worthy to note that Today, we are witnessing the same concerns and fears being expressed by one of the founding fathers of our great party, who also doubles as a national leader agreeing with my earlier call that Chief Oyegun should resign as the national chairman.
This allegation of bribery raised by Asiwaju Tinubu as regards the recent Ondo governorship primaries should be of concern to all well meaning party leaders and elders and should not be swept under carpet or taken of levity.
This weighty allegations should and must be properly investigated because of course ‘there is no smoke without fire.’ Mr. President sir, you recall the launch of the ‘Change Begins With Me Campaign’ a fortnight ago, where we were admonished to lead by example, and I dare say that this change must start from within the party so that Nigerians can follow suit.
Mr. President sir, the episode of the recent Ondo primaries is just one case too many befalling the APC under the leadership of Chief Oyegun and I’m therefore challenging Chief Oyegun to tell Nigerians if he has been able to mediate over any crisis that has been successful. As far as I am aware, APC under Oyegun has not been able to resolve any crisis in the party since we became the ruling party.
Chief Oyegun has shown that he lacks the capacity to resolve all the crisis currently rocking our party in nearly all the states of the federation.Mr. President sir, I’m aware you may not have forgotten hurriedly your experience under Chief Oyegun’s chairmanship in the defunct All Nigerians People’s Party (ANPP) that eventually led to the series of events which saw your exit from the party, and this same man is at it again. It is said that ‘a stitch in time saves nine.
