APC CRISIS: Uncertainty persists over Odigie Oyegun's fate

The leadership crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is far from over.

Even the absence of its Na­tional Chairman, Chief John Od­igie-Oyegun, who is on a 10-day leave, has not doused tension at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, as his opponents insist that he must not return to his seat after the break.

The development has ground­ed activities at the APC Nation­al Secretariat as all the Nation­al Working Committee (NWC) members have continued to stay away from their offices.

The AUTHORITY learnt that the APC had been facing a si­lent leadership crisis as some top members have fallen out with Od­igie-Oyegun over his leadership style and have demanded his res­ignation.

There were also reported is­sues of accountability among the

 APC NWC members.

It was reported that Chief Od­igie-Oyegun was forced to pro­ceed on a compulsory leave to pave the way for the resolution of the feud, but his critics have in­sisted that he must not return to the seat after the expiration of the holidays.

Odigie-Oyegun, howev­er, debunked the claims, stress­ing that he was proceeding on a 10-day leave to have some rest as demanded by his doctors after a hectic period of activities since he emerged as the APC nation­al chairman.

“I have been chairman for how long now? Going to two years, and it has been a very in­tense period building the par­ty and a very intense period put­ting the government together up to this point.

“All that has happened is that I think I deserve a bit of a break and that will start effective Mon­day and in my absence my deputy here, Chief Segun Oni, will cover my beat. It is that simple, it is that straightforward. Any speculation about not being in office is of no consequence. On Tuesday, I was down with malaria; I managed on Wednesday to attend that crucial meeting at the Presidency; yester­day I had to go to the hospital just to be sure and today I am at work, full stop”, the APC national chair­man noted, while reacting to re­ported crisis over his leadership of the party. But it was a more con­fused situation yesterday when it was noticed that the national chairman’s absence has crippled activities at the party’s secretari­at, with only the acting chairman, Segun Oni and the National Youth Leader, Dasuki Jalo, who came in briefly on Monday and Tuesday.

A staff member of the Secre­tariat, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen in confidence that “all the national officers are stay­ing away because they don’t want to answer questions as regard the running of the party.”

Another source who raised concerns over the future of Odi­gie-Oyegun as the national chair­man of the party, revealed that the acting national chairman, Segun Oni, has already moved into Odi­gie-Oyegun’s office, saying “that is an indication that the APC chair­man might not come back be­cause if he is acting as chairman, he is supposed to do that from his own office, not Odigie-Oyegun’s office.”

The APC National Caucus will meet on March 22, ahead of the March 23, 2016 Board of Trus­tees meeting, while the party’s NEC is billed to meet on March 24 to tackle most of the crises fac­ing the party.

Several attempts made by The AUTHORITY to get the reaction of the APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Bunu, who is also act­ing as the party’s Publicity Sec­retary, proved abortive as he did not pick several calls that were put across to him.

When Oni was contacted on the issue, he said that he was in an APC campaign rally ahead of the March 19 council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).