OPINION: Oyegun is an unquantifiable moral value addition to the APC - Oshodin

26.10.2017 21:00

Editor's note: An All Progressives Congress (APC) based in Benin, Edo state, Duke Edobor Oshodi, faults the personal attacks on the national chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun by a former commissioner in the state, Charles Idahosa.

Read below:

Recently, one Charles Idahosa, who was referred to as a “chieftain” of the APC and one-time commissioner in Edo state, described the national leadership of our great party, the APC, and the person of the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in very unsavoury terms.

He said that the party’s national chairman is “weak” and a sycophant who “plays the ostrich” just to keep his job as APC chair. Meanwhile, he surprisingly queried the APC national chairman’s loyalty to the president when, according to him, Chief Odigie-Oyegun was not made national chairman by the president.

On his part, President Muhammadu Buhari was accused by Mr. Idahosa of running a federal government with a divided party.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari seems to be a hard pill for some to swallow

From Mr. Idahosa’s standpoint, he would rather have a national chairman who is inflexible in his approach to managing contending party interests, issues, differences within the party, even if this means working against the interest of the president.

To say the least, the opinion expressed by Mr. Idahosa in the said interview is irresponsible and senseless. Mr. Idahosa has a right to his opinions, but the falsehood, misrepresentation of facts and name calling in his newspaper interview were reprehensible, just as his language was discourteous.

Clearly, Mr. Idahosa has lost sight of how the APC was formed in 2013. To refresh his memory, the APC was an amalgamation of vibrant opposition parties that came together with the objective of upstaging the failed government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, while the APC won the presidential election and the majority of governorship and legislative positions in the country, the powerful groups that coalesced into APC did not drop their respective interests.

Mr. Idahosa who claims to be an APC “chieftain” and who is sufficiently familiar with the dynamics of party politics in Nigeria ought to know that this is not unusual.

To his credit, the APC national chairman has been able to moderate and referee the forces at play within the APC with a sense of balance, which is probably the single and most crucial factor that has kept the APC united, despite the well-reported power tussles and wrangling that have cropped up within the party.

Mr. Idahosa served as special adviser on political matters under the immediate-past governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In his thinking, it is wrong for Chief Odigie-Oyegun to be loyal to the president since it was not the president who made him chairman of the party - he has his own idea of the single individual who achieved this feat! One may ask, who should the APC national chairman be loyal to?

Well, Chief Odigie-Oyegun previously answered the question on his emergence as APC national chairman, saying: "Everybody assisted me to this position and I'm grateful to all of them... I don't believe one particular person solely assisted me to this position."

Any right-thinking person would know that decisions like the appointment/election of the party chair and other party executives require the consensus of party leaders and consent of the majority of voters to be successful. Chief Odigie-Oyegun emerged as APC national chairman through the collective efforts of a coalition of individuals and interests within the APC fold at the time.

However, Mr. Idahosa even claims to have personally ensured Odigie-Oyegun’s emergence as APC national chairman. It is left to members of the party who were witnesses to the events of the time to reach their conclusions.

Mr. Idahosa claimed in the interview that he is a more experienced politician than the APC national chairman. Again, he is entitled to his opinion. However, at 78, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, CON, one of the youngest permanent secretaries the country has produced and the first executive governor of Edo state, is not one to engage in an argument with anyone about his accomplishments.

It is sad that Mr. Idahosa who was brought up by an Anglican Bishop of Benin and who is expected to understand the Bini tradition of respect for elders will allow himself to be used to insult respected senior citizens.

If Mr. Idahosa says it is wrong for Chief Odigie-Oyegun to be loyal to the president, then it is inconsistent for him to make himself a puppet to a godfather.

Sadly, it speaks of the failure of Bini leadership that a rogue and political charlatan like Mr. Idahosa will openly insult the most senior Bini political figure. One will expect everyone to rally around Chief Odigie-Oyegun to strengthen his ability to represent the Binis with respect and dignity on the altar of national leadership. I expect Bini leaders to call Mr. Idahosa to order.

As a prominent APC leader once stated, what Chief Odigie-Oyegun brings to APC is perhaps one of the most redeeming faces of the party -an unquantifiable moral value addition.

And the party is much better for that quality.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NAIJ.com.

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