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Loading ...The National chairman of governing All Progressives Congress (APC) may have stepped into the trouble water over his stand on who speaks for the party following the exit of Lai Muhammad, the National Publicity Secretary who is now the minister of information.
Oyegun’s stand against the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank, who is constitutionally recognized as the spokesman of the party, in absence of National Publicity Secretary has pitched one of the national leaders of the party, Atiku Abubakar, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Rotimi Ameachi and some other governors against the national chairman of APC, John Odigie Oyegun.
Frank, a ardent loyalist of Atiku and Saraki was said to have offended the national chairman when he called for his (Oyegun) sack – over the mismanaged National Assembly leadership crisis by the party.
Alhaji Atiku and others were however, said to be furious with Oyegun and the National Secretary of APC for publicly denying Timi Frank an opportunity to step into Lai Muhammad’s shoe according to the party’s constitution.
APC constitution in Section 14 sub-section 11 i of the APC constitution states that: “the deputy national publicity secretary shall assist and deputise for the national publicity secretary in his absence.”
But the national chairman felt contrary.
Having noticed the opposition to his stand, Oyegun was said to have summoned a meeting of the National Executive Council of Tuesday at the party Secretariat to discuss Timi Frank’s fate.
A competent source at the meeting revealed that Oyegun who still maintained his opposition to Frank speaking for the party set up a committee as a delay tactics to look into the issue.
The source however said one of the members of the NEC who was not satisfied with Oyegun’s position recorded the voice of the chairman at the meeting and it has been transferred to some leaders of the party for necessary action against the national chairman.
Ealier at a media briefing, Oyegun had told the inquisitive newsmen that the National Secretary of the party, Mai Mala Buni and himself were the only authorized party officials allowed to speak for the party.
He said: “I will start by saying who does not speak for the party, the person you are talking about does not speak for the party. Secondly, if there are any issues that need clarification for now, pending when we have a substantive publicity secretary, the national secretary will do so for the party and also when I speak, i speak for the party. It is as simple as that”.
But the Deputy National Secretary of APC, Comrade Timi Frank, on the same day at another press briefing called the bluff of the chairman saying “any other person (apart from him) issuing a statement is doing that may be on a personal capacity”.
“Our party constitution is very clear, anybody that does not understand the party constitution within the party or anybody that is still thinking who is the acting spokesperson or acting spokesperson. Frank said
“Today I am the spokesperson of the party, I’m the acting spokesperson of the party I can tell you without fear or favour that when the substantive person in the office of the national chairman or the national secretary or anybody that is not there, the deputy takes over automatically.
Frank said that the party’s constitution was clear on what should be done if there is vacant position that needed to be filled given the instance where Uche Secondus, the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stepped in the moment Adamu Muazu resigned after the party suffered defeat to the APC in the 2015 Presidential election.
“This is the principle of the party constitution’s, we have this also existing today in the PDP, you could see that when Muazu was not there Secondus today is acting for the party, so there is no difference, Lai Mohammad Is not there so automatically I’m the acting spokesperson of this party, so I can tell you without fear or favour, any other person issuing a statement is doing that maybe on a personal capacity but constitutionally I am the acting spokesperson of the party. It’s not something I need to lobby for, it is something meant to be the trend and I stand by it. Frank submitted.
