Oyegun on Saraki’s election: APC forging ahead

John Oyegun, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has assured Nigerians that the party is working around the clock to resolve its internal crisis and pave the way for fulfilling its campaign promises to them.

Despite APC’s failure to install its candidates as president of the senate and speaker of the federal house of representatives, Oyegun said the party was “forging ahead”.

”The party has reached out to all interested parties, and when the national assembly resumes next week, Nigerians will see one harmonious, happy APC family,” Oyegun said in a statement he issued in Abuja on Friday.

”We owe it to our party, our teeming members and supporters and indeed all Nigerians, who reposed so much confidence in us by voting us into office, to quickly put the unfortunate incidents of the recent past behind us and forge ahead.”

Also, the APC national chairman rose to the defence of the party’s national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, who is being vilified in his home state of Kwara for signing the statement conveying the party’s reaction to the election of the national Assembly leadership on June 9.

Oyegun said Lai Mohammed’s statement was issued with the knowledge and consent of the party, hence it would be wrong for anyone to make him a sacrificial lamb for carrying out his party responsibilities.

”The party is aware that its national publicity secretary has been grossly misunderstood by virtually everyone, especially in his state, just because he carried out his duty by signing the said statement by the party,” he said.

”At a personal risk and putting the party’s interest above his own, he issued that statement which reflected the position of the party at that particular time.

“The party is solidly behind him, and it will be wrong for anyone to interpret the statement as representing his personal opinion.”

While the APC hierarchy is continuing its efforts to close its ranks, Bukola Saraki, who emerged senate president against the party’s wish, is pushing for peace as well.

On Friday, he held a closed-door meeting with Olusegun Obasanjo to seek his intervention in reuniting him with President Muhammadu Buhari and other disgruntled APC leaders.