The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, may have backed out of the party’s national chairmanship race.
A strong supporter of Odigie-Oyegun yesterday said that the APC national chairman told his supporters about the plan after the meeting with them on Thursday.
According to the source, the chairman said that there was no reason going against the interest of President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Buhari had on Tuesday asked the governors of APC to throw their weights behind the former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for the post of APC national chairman.
Oshiomhole, who finished his second term as governor of Edo State, is one of the strong contenders of the position of the APC National Chairmanship.
It was also gathered that whoever that would emerge as APC national chairman must be instrumental to the presidential campaign and since the President has given his support to somebody, it would not be necessary for him to contest even if he will win.
Our source argued that there wouldn’t be empathy between him and the President if he should run and win the chairmanship position.
The source said that the chairman considers his personal harmony over every other thing.
The source quoted the chairman as saying, “There has to be personal harmony giving all the factors involved.
“My inclination is to go home after my tenure giving my age and all that. The way it is he doesn’t think it is necessary and there is nothing to gain as a person. He prefers to go home and have a rest. Let others run around.”
Is he thinking of allowing Oshiomhole to have his way? When asked if Odigie- Oyegun would fight to stop Oshiomhole from emerging, the source said: “What l see; he thinks and believes about his supporters critical assignment in their state congress.
“So, he believes that if he stays and runs the congresses and concludes its then he has delivered for his supporters and friends. He wants to make sure that there were fair and free congresses and people did not come from anywhere and hijack congresses, which would be injurious to their states.
“Just as he is willing to defer to the interest of the biggest principal so also the executive in their own state should have a say about what happened in their own states.
So, for the sake of those people he prefers to stay and run the congresses to its conclusion, which is why he is resisting the attempt of anybody to come and takeover the day to day running of the party.”
Asked to say if the APC national chairman would approach the President and seek an alternative to Oshiomhole, the source said: “To the best of my knowledge, the chairman does not play under hand politics.
“Why some of his associates may be thinking about options and all of that, being the gentlemen as he is, the President who is the leader of the party, who the national structure seems to align with, just as the state structures align with the governors, where there are governors is supreme.
“His opinion is that he will do his congresses, stay on when the Convention is done, whoever wins he hands over. It’s very, very unlikely as at today to offer himself for the election and I don’t think there will be any of his supporters who can go against the interest of the President.”
However, when the national chairman was contacted to confirm the story, he said he would speak when it is ripe for him to speak.ph
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