Adams Oshiomhole, national
chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says any state executive
committee of the party that takes a side against any aspirant, group or
individuals in the governorship primary election will be dissolved.
He said this while handing over
the party’s membership register to its state chairmen under the APC Forum of
State Chairman on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the party’s national
working committee (NWC) had the power to disband any state executive that
failed to represent the party’s interest.
Oshiomhole explained that the
business of the state executives should not be confused with their personal
preferences, particularly in states where there were more than one aspirants
contesting for a position.
“If you do that, and it is not
going to be secret, we will, without any hesitation disband the entire
executive,” he said.
“The NWC has the power without
giving reasons to disband any executive which in its opinion, is no longer fit
and competent to represent the party in respective states.
“There is only one party known to
law, and that is the APC, so, please, resist any temptation.
“We have seen embarrassment where
people go on television canvassing positions of their governors or declaring
one person as the sole candidate.
“You don’t have those powers, and
if you do so, not only can you be dissolved, you can be prosecuted for breach
of oath of office and oath of allegiance to the APC.”
He urged the party’s state
chairmen to remain neutral and be seen to be neutral, even when they had their
preferences as human beings.
Oshiomhole said the state
chairmen must create a level playing field for all aspirants and not to allow
themselves to be used by political bigwigs in their respective states.
He added that as state chairmen,
they are stewards of the party, not its owners, saying the party belongs to the
members.
Oshiomhole also warned the state
chairmen not to tamper with the register being handed over to them, or destroy
it.
“If anybody thinks if you destroy
what you have, you would have destroyed the evidence, you only would have
implicated yourself,” he said.
“Because we have it stored in
flash drive and can always reproduce, but then you would have come under
sanction.
“Please know the difference
between your responsibilities to the party and your individual inner
preferences with regards to any of the offices, including president, governors,
senators and house of assembly members.”
He warned that until an aspirant
emerged as the party’s candidate, the state chairmen should not adopt him or
associate with him in a manner that would make others feel had no fair chance
in the conduct the primaries.
He further added that the details
for conducting both direct and indirect primaries would be worked out,
distributed and published and would be strictly adhered to in all the states of
the federation and the federal capital territory (FCT).
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