The deputy Director in charge of Legal Matters of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Olusola Oke, says the ruling party won’t sanction its members to please anybody despite pressure being mounted on the APC to suspend some high ranking members for anti-party activities.
Oke, a former governorship aspirant of the APC in Ondo State, stated that members of the APC had rights to hold dissenting opinions.
The legal icon made the statement during his investiture as the patron of Movement for Good Governance & Ethical Leadership in Abuja on Tuesday.
The development is coming on the heels of controversy that trailed the unveiling of a fresh campaign council list that replaced the earlier 422-member released.
Missing on the list were names of Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige; embattled Senator of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Chimaroke Nnamani; Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and former Governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu.
Ngige had gotten himself into the black book of the party when he publicly refused to endorse the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, when he appeared on a live programme on Channels TV.
Amaechi, on the other hand, stirred the hornets’ nest when he alleged that delegates who voted at the party’s presidential primary were bribed to influence the outcome.
He said many of those induced with money had since regretted their action.
The former Rivers State Governor spoke at an event to mark the 60th birthday of the founder and General Overseer of the Abundant Life Evangelistic Mission, Apostle Eugene Ogu, in Port Harcourt.
Osinbajo’s case was more of a cold war between him and his estranged godfather, whom he had distanced himself from after he lost the APC presidential ticket.
But rising in their defence, Oke disclosed that the APC was not a cult that sought to silence its members for having a divergent view or emotional outburst.
He said, “That is to tell you that we respect rights of dissent in democracy. Even though we are members of the same family, people must be allowed to express dissenting opinions. The onus of bringing everybody on board lies on the leadership, which is what we are doing.
“Ngige comes from a region in Nigeria that also wants the presidency. So if out of emotional outburst that he made the statement, the onus is on us as party members to understand. And I am sure that is being taken care of.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also justified Osinbajo’s omission from the list, saying governance could not be paralysed over the political campaign of their presidential candidate.
This is even as he reiterated that in spite of the cold war, the vice president could not remain the political godson of Tinubu.
“This has been explained before. While the President is going out for campaign, Osinbajo must be there to stabilise the government and ensure things are running. We are conscious of the need to win and also conscious of the need to have the government running until the last day.
“I think that is the politics behind his exclusion. But the world is free to read meaning to it. Osinbajo is a gentleman, a party member to the core and he remains Asiwaju’s son, if you must know.”
Among the dignitaries who attended the investiture ceremony were the MGGEL National Coordinator, Jerry Nwogwu; Director General, Henry Bello; deputy DG, Esther Bepeh; the Director of Research, Tayo Oluwole and Director of Intra-Party and Policy Matters, Mohammed Mubarak.
