Atiku lashes out at Oyegun over Ondo primary

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has joined APC’s national leader Bola Tinubu in condemning the action of the party’s National Working Committee which over-ruled the appeal panel decision to re-run the party guber primary won by Rotimi Akeredolu in Ondo.

The NWC, led by party Chairman John Oyegun, had ignored the panel’s report and submitted Akeredolu’s name to the INEC as the APC candidate for the November 26 governorship election.

Atiku, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday by his edia office, urged the NWC of the party to promote the rule of law and due process in the conduct of its affairs.

According to him, this is necessary for the unity and stability of the party, adding that the leaders should stop breaking their own rules.

Tinubu, whose favoured candidate Segun Abraham came second in the contest, had earlier criticised Oyegun for rejecting the recommendation of the appeal panel on the Ondo primary .

He called for the resignation of the national chairman who, he said, was promoting injustice in the party by manipulating the Ondo primary.

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Atiku noted that since the APC found reasons to review the outcome of the governorship primary, and establish valid grounds to cancel the exercise for a fresh one, the NWC decision to deviate from the panel’s decision was a negation of due process.

“It is an unfashionable hollow in democratic best practices.”

He advised the leadership of the party to do a soul-searching on why problem arose and escalated.

According to Atiku, the party leadership should always be guided by respect for the rules, fairness, equity, neutrality and respect for democratic consensus.

The former vice-president, however, urged aggrieved members of the APC in the Ondo election to exercise restraint in seeking redress to the crisis.

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He asked the leadership of the party to retrace its steps and restore confidence among the conflicting parties in the state for the overall benefit of the ruling party.

There were reports on Wednesday that the party mandated the Progressives Governors’ Forum to intervene in the crisis.

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara were said to have been mandated to meet Tinubu.

It was reported on Wednesday that the crisis was one of the issues discussed at a meeting Tambuwal and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, had with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.