Plot to sack Odigie-Oyegun thickens as APC postpones NEC meeting

• Party will take Nigeria to greater heights, says Kalu

Indications emerged yesterday of a plot to sack the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun from office.The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling party, Mr. Timi Frank confirmed the plot to The Guardian after the surprise shift of the meetings of the National Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) scheduled for April 24 and 25, 2017 respectively.

Frowning at the postponement of the meetings, he said: “He can get away with it for now, it is not going to be far too long. Definitely, there are lots of moves on ground now. You will see where everything will head to soon. I can assure you that Odigie-Oyegun will go. His tenure is meant to end in 2018, but we must not wait for his tenure to expire before we change him. If somebody is not competent to do his job, what you do is to remove him.

“You see in PDP where several chairmen emerged because a section of the party felt uncomfortable with the chairman. A lot of things are going backwards in APC due to Odigie-Oyegun’s incompetence,” Frank said.

The Guardian, however, learnt from a competent source that the plot against Odigie-Oyegun would fail as he remains in the good books of President Muhammadu Buhari and most members of the federal executive council (FEC).

The source revealed that those plotting Oyegun’s removal backtracked after discovering that the former of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole being tipped to take over Odigie-Oyegun’s seat could be too “hot and stubborn” to handle.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, faulted the notion that the shift in the meetings was orchestrated by Odigie-Oyegun to keep his job. He said the proposed national convention of the party, which comes after the NEC will definitely hold at the behest of party officials.

Meanwhile, former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, at the APC zonal meeting held at the Abriba home of Nnamadi Iro, urged the people of Abia North to canvass membership for the APC.

According to Kalu, APC has people’s welfare as priority in its policy thrust, stressing that the party is all-inclusive, for Nigerians regardless of tribal, religious, economic and social leanings.

Kalu added that President Muhammadu Buhari is gradually restoring the lost glory of Nigeria and expressed the hope that the region’s political game would change in favour of the APC in 2019. Kalu said the party would drive development in the southeast and called for sensitisation on the benefits of joining APC and supporting the federal administration. The Abia North APC Chairman, Dr. Onyeroha Chukwumerije urged the people not to be left behind in the change mantra.