Call your DG to order, Edo APC stakeholders tell Governor Bagudu

Certain chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, Edo State chapter have decried what they perceived as consistent attacks on the national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by the Director-General of the forum of governors, the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Salihu Lukman.

Lukman, in a memo addressed to the former Osun State governor and chairman of the APC National Reconciliation Committee, Chief Bisi Akande which was made available to newsmen at the weekend, accused Comrade Oshiomhole of highhandedness which he noted was responsible for the crises in state chapters.

But in a statement signed by the duo of Chief Francis Inegbeneki and Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu, the stakeholders claimed the DG of the Governors Forum was being instigated by the governors to abuse the national chairman of the party.

The forum of Edo APC stakeholders argued that the governors should feel concerned that the national chairman of their party was being subjected to ridicule by Alhaji Lukman.

The statement read in part: “The attention of the Edo State APC Stakeholders has been drawn to the so-called memo written to the Chief Bisi Akande-led APC National Reconciliation Committee by the Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, wherein he accused the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, of being the problem in the APC.

“We find that statement as malicious as it was insulting and we have given the sycophantic DG of the Forum 7 days to withdraw the offensive statement and apologise to Comrade Oshiomhole or risk legal action.

“Whereas, the entire content of his so-called memo tantamount to arrant nonsense, he has, as a matter of fact, ceased being the DG of the Progressives Governors’ Forum from the day he decided to market his soul to those who were afraid of the on-going reforms in the APC being spearheaded by the Oshiomhole -led NWC.

“He obviously has turned himself to a PDP man, masquerading as an associate of APC governors.

“For so long, we have kept quiet to his tantrums against the APC National Chair, thinking that himself and his co-travellers, including Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, would turn a new leaf but they have persisted in their evil plot against Comrade Oshiomhole.

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“Comrade Oshiomhole is not in the same category with small-minded men, like Lukman, who are making frantic efforts to please their paymasters.

“We are aware of his nocturnal visits to Edo Government House where he leaves with Ghana-Must-Go bags.

“If his memo is not full of mischief and motivated by a compromised conscience that was not out to promote reconciliation, he should not have sent it to the press before making it available to the Committee members.

“The point we make is that a memo he had prepared for the Bisi Akande Committee should not have got to the press before members of the Committee.

“To appreciate how mischievous the so-called Lukman is, he delved into Edo State politics to appease his paymaster when he claimed the National Chairman is surrounded by sycophants in Edo as result of which he ( National Chairman) does not take advice.

“If he does not know, the biggest sycophants around Oshiomhole were his (Lukman’s) friends-Obaseki and Philip Shaibu-who are his links to Edo State Government House. These two people deceived Oshiomhole into giving them power and today they want to kill all the leaders in Edo due to their desperation for a second term.

“We use this opportunity to also call on the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, to call his DG to order unless he is the one fueling the insults against Comrade Oshiomhole.

“It is even an insult on the governors to see their national chairman being attacked persistently by their DG. It is uncalled for and unacceptable to us.

“Edo APC will not tolerate any attempt to take Oshiomhole for granted by bread-and-butter men like Lukman.”