Youths at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday staged a peaceful protest demanding removal of the party’s chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The demonstration comes barely 24 hours to the national executive committee meeting of the party.
The youths, under the aegis of Save APC and Democracy Youth Vanguard, carried placards with the inscriptions: ‘Audit APC Account Now’, No To Non-elective Convention’ and ‘APC Must Support Anti-corruption’.
Spokesperson for the group, Mr. Peter Oyewole, said: “Since 2015, the budget of the APC has not been made public. Since 2015, the ruling party has not held a single meeting. These are enough for the removal of the national chairman. We demand the removal of Oyegun now.
“We are also saying enough is enough to imposition of candidates at all level by the Oyegun-led national working committee. In any party where there is imposition, there cannot be fairness or equity. Imposition in the APC today is rubbishing the anti-corruption war of President Buhari.”
He threatened: “If Oyegun is not removed within the next one month, APC youths will picket this national secretariat and make it a no-go-area to officials. Even security personnel will be chased out.
The party meanwhile has rejected insinuations it is plotting to remove its chairman.
Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said he was not aware of any plot by chieftains of the party such as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to unseat Odigie-Oyegun.
Abdullahi also downplayed the protest by the youths.
“It is part of democracy. Everybody is free to air his or her views. That is what democracy is about. But they should not also expect that everybody would share their opinion or views. They have the right to express those views, as long as they do so within the ambit of the law,” he said, adding:
“There is no move in any form to remove the chairman at the national executive meeting.”
He also praised decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, of his job, saying: “It shows that the President has not in anyway waived his commitment not to tolerate corruption at any level, no matter who is involved.”
It comes as Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, dismissed speculation his wife, Florence, would contest in the National Assembly elections in 2019.
He described the rumor as “wild imagination of some people” intent at causing disharmony in the APC.
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