Oyegun Reacts To Party Secretary’s Call For His Resignation Over National Assembly Elections

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Oyegun has reacted to the call for his resignation by the party’s national deputy publicity secretary, Comrade Timi Frank over the unimpressive outcome of the National Assembly leadership election.

According to Oyegun, who spoke with Vanguard on the issue, yesterday, in Abuja, Frank acted in ignorance.

Frank had on Monday accused the chairman of complicity in the mock election that produced Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as the party’s official candidates for Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively. Both men had, however, failed in their bid and were beaten to the seats by self-sponsored Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogora.

The outcome of the elections led Frank to conclude that Oyegun was under pressure to do the biddings of the powerful in the party

The national chairman, however, said that he was not under any kind of pressure to conduct the election, saying that as the national chairman of the party, it was incumbent on him to moderate various interests that emerged during the time of the election.

“It is neither here nor there. That’s his opinion and views. And I suppose he’s entitled to them. But I read the statement. He’s not a member of the National Working Committee (NWC). He’s a member of NEC alright. But not of the National Working Committee. So, it is neither here not there.

“When things happen, people look for scapegoats and it is a pity that he told the press instead of coming to say, look, chairman, what happened? How did things go the way they did? He might have just benefited from the education.

“I was not under any pressure in the sense that he’s taking it but a party chairman is constantly under pressure especially when the time comes for dividing the spoils of office, naturally, people of different interest, it is for the national chairman to moderate all these interests. And usually not everybody will be pleased. One way or the other, whatever decision you take, somebody is bound to be unhappy. That’s the way things run,” Oyegun said.