.. Reveals that Oshiomhole was the problem of the party
A former governorship candidate in Imo State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), Uche Nwosu, Tuesday, gave hint on how to reconcile aggrieved factions of the party in the Southeast.
Commending the steps so far taken by the Caretaker Committee headed by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Bunmi, Nwosu enjoined the committee to carry the major blocks responsible for the merger that led to the formation of APC along as the consultations to reconcile the party begin.
“The four blocks that formed the APC, including the ACN lead by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the CPC led by President Muhammadu Buhari, the APGA faction led by Rochas Okorocha and the PDP faction led by Rotimi Amaechi should be consulted and made to come together to rebuild the party and make it strong, focused and progressive as it was when it was founded,” he said.
On the fate of the party in the Southeast, Nwosu noted the committee’s duty will be made easier and successful if it takes time to study the history of the party in the zone and how and when crisis crept in.
According to him: “To get it right in the Southeast, the Caretaker Committee should be properly equipped with how the party started and evolved in the zone. It should identify the founding leaders of the party in the zone and bring them together. This will more than any other thing open a new chapter of peace and harmony in the party”.
He further advised the committee not to allow its activities in the Southeast to be hijacked or dictated by Abuja- based politicians “who do not have any stake in the party at the grassroots”.
Nwosu said: “The Committee should get in touch with the party leaders in the zone who are truly in touch with the people on how to resolve all issues and bring peace to the party than working with Abuja based politicians who may be warming up to hijack the process”.
On how crisis hit the party in the zone, Nwosu, blamed the sacked former National Chairman, Adams Oshomhole, who he accused of imposing people on the party and sidelining the founding leaders.
According to him, “you will recall that Owelle Rochas Okorocha, then as governor of Imo State, took a faction of APGA where he was elected governor to join other progressives to form the APC. There is no gainsaying the persecution he went through as was called names and maligned as a saboteur that was working against the Igbo interest.
“But he was not discouraged and continued to mobilize other leaders in the zone and the moment President Muhammadu Buhari won in 2015 and expectedly the party became popular and people started joining.
“Problem started as a result of Oshomhole’s leadership style. He came to the zone for reasons best known to him and chose to work with people who were not original members of the party and ignored the founding leaders. This led to a serious crisis in the zone and affected the party’s fortune in the 2019 elections.
“He factionationalised the party in the zone by unilaterally supplanting elected Exco members with Caretaker Committee without the knowledge of the NEC. There is no State in the Southeast where you don’t have factions with two to three different set of Exco members. Oshomhole refused to recognise the elected Exco and that was he threw the entire party in the zone into irreconcilable crisis”.
Nwosu however assured that the party will become strong in the Southeast again when those that founded the party but were suspended are reached out to and invited for reconciliation.
He also dismissed insinuations that President Buhari’s late intervention made the crisis to fester, adding that the President’s delay to wade into the matter was to allow the NWC to resolve the issues which they never did.
“What some persons are referring to as President Buhari’s late intervention was to allow the NWC to resolve the matter without undue and undemocratic interference. But when it became obvious that the NWC could no longer manager the crisis, the President had to intervene. It was not late it was deliberate because Mr. President would not like to be seen as usurping the functions of democratically constituted organ of the party,” Nwosu explained.
