APC crisis: We must salvage our party —Oyegun …As Dogara says crisis normal

NATIONAL chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Tuesday, called for the need for all stakeholders in the party to take stalk of its activities since it came to power, adding that right questions should be asked on how the party is faring.

Chief Oyegun who spoke during the inaugural meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives, APC caucus at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, said: “We are going to two years in government. If is high time we sat down, ask ourselves questions, ponder whether we are moving in the right direction, discuss serious issues and if necessary, make any corrections that of course maybe considered expedient.”

The party is currently facing some challenges emanating from the different bloc that formed the merger before the party became APC.

Odigie-Oyegun, who led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had earlier met with the leadership of the APC Senate Caucus on December 7.

Chief Oyegun noted that, “Last week, we had a similar meeting with the leaders of the Senate and this week, we are talking with the Speaker and his team. The purpose is clear. We are kick-starting a series of targeted discussion which we should have had much earlier.

According to him, “We know why these discussions did not take place. And in the more recent past, we have had a rash of bye-elections, very serious bye-elections which fortunately is coming to an end as soon as we can resolve the balance of the undeclared seats in the Rivers rerun.

“The purpose is clear and straight forward and that is to put all these things behind us and now sit down to introspect, look at the party, look at the National Assembly, look at the government,” he stated.

On his part, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, at the meeting said crisis in the party was normal saying that, “If we think that we should have a party that will not have challenges or problems or crisis, you are just deceiving yourself.”

He, however said, “you can’t put the party on autopilot as it were and expect that it will run on its own. There are family issues which you cannot bring to public glare. But as sons of the party, we have been able to look at those areas and I can assure you that we have trashed them.”

According to him, “for us in APC, we cannot assume that progress is automatic, but it is inevitable. If we fold our hands, nothing will happen. It is only by meetings like this that we will be able to put things in their perspective. We should be see what we have done wrong, what we can do to maintain the competitive political environment we have found ourselves.”

In addition, he said: “If you don’t expect mistakes, you will be dealing with a situation, where ghosts will be taking charge. As long as it is an institution where human beings are involved, no human being is perfect. In a situation where you don’t have perfection, certainly there will be mistakes. There are plenty mistakes and we will not run away from them.”