Tinubu-Oyegun feud healthy for APC, says deputy house whip

Pally Iriase, deputy whip of the house of representatives, says the “feud” between John Oyegun, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Bola Tinubu, national leader, is healthy for the party.

Speaking on Thursday while fielding questions from journalists on his party’s victory in Edo state, Iriase explained that not all disagreements within the party will destroy it.

He urged Nigerians to look for the positive rather than the negative, saying it is good that party members are allowed to ventilate their feelings no matter highly or lowly placed are.

“Leader of the party is not happy and he says Mr Chairman should resign, and Mr Chairman says good, but we have procedure. It does not mean all is not well,” he said.

“What it means is that we regard that our party is for Nigerians and it is not everything that will be swept under the carpet under the guise of family affair.

“We have such a good thing happening and you are saying we are sick; we are very well. Somebody doesn’t like what somebody has done and he has the details — that is what we have promised, that you can read us like a book and don’t go looking for what will bring this party down, because it won’t go down.

“In the run-up to the Edo election, everybody was going into bets that the Edo primary would scatter us. No matter what agents of destruction did, it didn’t work. What Nigerians need is good governance.

“Not every disagreement will lead to destruction of the party and certainly this didn’t come in the destruction of APC.

“A book was launched about Mr President the other day, who did you see sitting sided by side? It was these two gentlemen, they talked and shook hands and when I saw the paper.

“You said they were not talking? How do you shake hands without talking? They did not only sit down together, they exchanged pleasantries. It is very important that we have two strong parties.”

The lawmaker added that he was not happy that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had not gotten its act together, as the country is in dire need of an opposition party.

“I’m not happy that PDP is not getting it’s acts together; they ought to. They need to mend their fences because we need a strong opposition any time in this country,” he added.

“It will help us in our desire for good governance; it will not allow dictatorship to fester in any form.”