APC chairmanship: I didn’t chicken out —Odigie-Oyegun

National chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, last week formally declined interest in a fresh mandate to lead the party. A national convention to elect a new set of national officers for the party has been scheduled for June 23. At an interactive session with newsmen, he insists the tenure elongation for his team which was rebuffed by certain forces within the APC is still the best for the APC. TAIWO AMODU was at the media briefing. Excerpts: 

VIRTUALLY all the APC governors lined up behind you on the issue of tenure elongation. Then suddenly there was the volte  face and  they jumped into the bandwagon of the Adams Oshiomhole project for national chairman.  Do you feel betrayed?

Not at all! In a sense, the things that happened just happened and I don’t  feel betrayed. As a matter of fact, the reality is that I feel very proud that most of the structures of the party had lined behind me. But when the realities changed, when situations changed, I mean it is only legitimate that people should make fresh assessment of new development and decide and act accordingly. If I didn’t make a fresh assessment of the situation, I probably won’t be saying what I just said today [that he has bowed out of the chairmanship race]. So, it is only in the course of human events, when you are faced with new realities, the governors, even myself who is the affected party, will, of course, have to do a rethink.

Talking about the issue of the New PDP group, as someone who is very experienced and having been in the saddle for many years now, what will be your advice on the way forward as the party tries to mend fences with this power group?

The process is still ongoing and until we reach an understanding with them it won’t be right to comment. But I think we tend to read too much that is negative into their act. I just have a feeling that they, like all people, want the best terms for  themselves.  Giving the state of the politics, I believe they choose this time not because they want to leave the APC, not because they were fed up with the APC or because they want to cause trouble within the APC, but because they want a good deal for themselves, given the totality of what is going on in the party. So, we have accepted their protest in good faith and we are sitting down with them to work out something that will be mutually beneficial to both interests.

During the campaign for tenure elongation, some governors and stakeholders were opposed to it.  Some of them are now coming out to say that you are witch hunting them. One of them is Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and we haven’t said anything since he has been raising this allegation. What is your reaction to it?

Well, the processes are still on and it is not good to answer you in details, but the answer lies in one fact: that he is not the only one who opposed the so-called tenure elongation. How come he is the only one being witch hunted? He wasn’t the strongest force behind the objection to tenure elongation so why is his case different? I don’t think it is necessary to go into the details. When you look at the totality of the events in that state, I think you can get a clearer picture of what is going on there. There is a united voice calling for a different way of doing things so to speak.

The South-East caucus of the party met and they said they were bringing back all the members of the National Working Committee of the party from the zone.  Does the party constitution support that and what is your take on it?

The party constitution allows you two terms just like it allows me two terms but I have exercised my option. I am not offering myself for a second term. So, every other person, not just in the South-East but nationwide as a matter of fact when the details comes out in the next few days you will see that most of the states in the North, return the bulk of their deputies because they have only had one term because that one term has had its issues and because we didn’t want to create a situation where we will lose too many of our experienced hands who worked for victory in the first term and who are still available to work for victory in the second term because at the end of the day you really don’t totally throw away 100 per cent a winning team.

 APC has had a history of grievances and misunderstanding of members that has gone on till now. Considering the timeline between these congresses and convention, there were parallel congresses and grievances from the congresses. Is there enough time for them to resolve these issues in the states before the convention?

Well, my statement started by saying maybe the so-called tenure elongation wouldn’t have been so much a bad thing, because, let’s face it, we have finished the congresses. We are going to have the convention and at the end of the convention, we are also going to have a series of contests: primaries terminating with the presidential primaries in October/November.

It is not an ideal situation for which to confront an election, but what has happened has happened and that is water under the bridge. What any leader must do now is how to best manage the reality that exists to put the party in the best possible fighting shape to take on the 2019 elections and that is something we must undertake. It is not a matter of choice; it is a matter we must undertake to the greatest extent possible the next few weeks. The next few months will be times for reconciliation, time for consensus building, times for taking care of aggrieved parties within the fold.

It always happens with every political contest and it is after that you start the fence mending and you started by saying the party has been full of contentious elements, but it is one of the most incredible party in the nation today. It is a progressive party and I want you to look around the world; all progressive parties their hallmark is the contenstation of views, of approaches to how things should be done. Be It Labour party or the Democratic Party in the United States or whatever any other party but that doesn’t mean the party is in a turmoil. What is important is that in spite of what has happened you don’t get major factions within the party that say they want to head out instead we are getting influx of members including seven members of the National Assembly that crossed  over to the party. So it is a live party. It is a party where ideas are strongly contested within the house and that is healthy. You can’t wish for anything better.

There has been speculation about why you decided not to contest; you also admitted during this interview that you wanted a second term. Were you   intimidated out of the race?   Secondly, how do you feel that the anointed candidate: the choice of the governors and the Presidency is incidentally from your home state?

I don’t know who is coming to take over my position.

One of the aspirants is Adams Oshiomhole. How do you feel about his candidature? Has there been any attempt at dialogue from him or are you surprised that the opposition is coming from your state,  Edo?

Well, the first part of your question, I wasn’t intimidated out. I took into consideration and I was influenced by my own consideration of what is in the best interest of the APC. I have relatively been stubborn. I have been through several intense fight, you in the media know how it was ‘Oyegun must go’ and still held on and what makes me so glad today and happy today is that in all the intensity of the attacks it was easy to locate it and it was easy to see that by and large the top leadership of the party were on my side. That is something that gives me the most intense satisfaction. So I wasn’t intimidated out; I only thought of Oyegun in the front or back page every day of the year being the famous whipping person of the social media. Maybe let somebody else should breath some different air into the system and that was all. It was in the interest of the party that I do not become the problem or the major part of the problem and that was it.

For anybody coming into the contest, it is open. The man you mentioned has indicated his interest and it is left for the party. There is nothing to dialogue. You offer yourself for service because you think you have fresh ideas or a new sense of direction which is legitimate and it doesn’t matter where you come from but again if you go back to the National Executive Committee decision, they resolved that to the greatest extent possible the existing zoning should be maintained which means since the chairmanship is located in Edo State the very high possibility is that they will also be looking for someone to replace me from Edo State.