Oyegun finally succumbs

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Friday, finally succumbed to pressures to quit the national chairmanship race of the party. Though, Oyegun remarked that some APC members were already mobilizing for his re-election for a second tenure in office, he acknowledged that the dust raised by the proposal to extend his tenure and that of other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party generated controversies that could ruin the party. He admitted the imperative of making sacrifice to save the ruling party from deepening conflicts and ensure it is bequeathed to younger generations.

Accordingly, Oyegun declared that he will not be seeking re-election for a second tenure when the APC holds its national convention on June 23, 2018. The convention was initially scheduled for June 2 but was rescheduled to June 23 by the party leadership.

Oyegun in a statement had declared:  “Even though, I had the desire to re-contest as National Chairman of the Party, I have decided that it is ultimately in the best interest of the Party for me to withdraw from the race.”

He maintained that he will continue to perform his duties to the expiration date of his tenure. “However, I will continue to perform my duties as the National Chairman of the party till my tenure officially ends on Monday, June 25, 2018 when a new set of the party executives will be inaugurated,” he declared.

The withdrawal of Odigie-Oyegun’s from the chairmanship race completes the circle of endorsement of former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, by President Muhammadu Buhari and some APC governors. Oshiomhole was initially sponsored by Asiwaju bola Ahmed Tinubu, but Buhari swiftly played into the power scheme and took the shine off Tinubu.

The withdrawal of Oyegun, therefore, concludes the election of Oshiomhole who may be going into the convention unchallenged and may just require mere “YES” votes to complete his being anointed for the office.