VON, DG, Okechukwu, allays fears over APC national convention

THE Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has allayed fears over the APC national convention, billed for this weekend, saying it will be hitch- free.

Answering questions from Journalists on Sunday over the crisis festering which may becloud the forthcoming national convention, Okechukwu dismissed such fears, assuring it would be hitch-free because President Muhammadu Buhari remains the presumptive consensus candidate of the ruling party for 2019 presidential election.

The VON boss said in spite of conflicting reports of parallel congresses, he envisages a hitch-free national convention on June 23, since the entire tendencies within the party share a common ground in their support for President Buhari.

Okechukwu who was elected as a delegate to the national convention, equally predicted that most of the delegates would vote for former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshimole as the chairman of the party since President Buhari had endorsed him.

“To be honest, in spite of conflicting reports of parallel congresses, one envisages a hitch-free national convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on 23rd because we have President Muhammadu Buhari who from every index is the presumptive consensus candidate, come 2019 presidential election. Mr President is more like a guardian post for our great party. He is the canopy covering us all from bad weather.”

“Remember that what we operate is a presidential system, where unlike the parliamentary system the supremacy of the party is less profound. Every president in all presidential systems I know, be it in the United States, tailors the cloth of the party to his size,” he said.

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Okechukwu also said , “We are lucky that President Buhari is not a power-monger like His Excellency, ex-president, Dr Olusegun Obasanjo who during his tenure took ownership of the PDP and was changing chairmen like rappers – dropped Solomon Lar of blessed memory, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Dr Ahmadu Ali amongst others.”

On the connection between the gulf created by the fractious parallel congresses and the so-called presumed consensus presidential candidate, he said: “ My observation is that all the tendencies and factions have a common ground, which in simple translation is the endorsement of Mr President. Mr President is our common denominator, we are all his supporters, hence citing political parlance, the struggle is for the control of party structure for 2023 general elections.”

” In addition those who lost in the congresses are not only loyalists to Buhari, but are aware of the truism that they were swimming against the tide of the provisions of APC’s Constitution, which mandated the National Working Committee, subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee to make rules and regulations for nomination of candidates. Nobody has the right to reverse the national delegates list validly elected during the local government congress.”

“With such iconic leader, like Buhari loyalty is enhanced. Loyalty to one leader minimises intra-party conflict. It could have been different if we have two strong presidential contenders.” Okechukwu advanced.

He maintained that their collective support for Mr. President makes it easy for reconciliation and mending of fences in APC, post the national convention and before the 2019 general elections, the tonic of which was clearly gazetted by the unanimous support President Buhari’s endorsement of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the chairman of the party generated.
On the rumour making the rounds that Governor Rochas Okrorocha may use his position as the chairman Appeals Sub-Committee of Screening Committee to disqualify Senator Osita Izunaso, Hon Emma Eneukwu and Chief George Moughalu, Okechukwu sounded cynical, saying the governor had no such power.

“I don’t speculate, and I don’t think so, more so am aware that President Buhari canvassed for waiver for members of the National Working Committee, which was upheld by the National Executive Committee on March 27, 2018. Secondly, Governor Aminu Masari Screening Committee to the best of my knowledge didn’t disqualify or recommend disqualification of any of them. Therefore, Governor Okoroacha knows he has no powers to simulate petitions to disqualify them, for its trite law that you cannot build something out of nothing. It will be ingenious and unlawful for other members to allow him”, he concluded.