Why I wont Respond to Tinubu Now - Oyegun (APC Crisis)

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John
Oyegun, has said he would not immediately react to
a scathing allegation leveled against him by a former
Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu.
Mr. Oyegun said he would perhaps make his
position clear after the Edo State election on
Wednesday.
Mr. Tinubu came down hard on Mr. Oyegun in a
lengthy statement Sunday evening, accusing the
party chairman of betrayal and fraud. He also
rejected the unofficial “national leader” title
conferred on him by the party members.
“Evidently, some errant members believe promises
and vows are mere words to be easily spoken and
more easily broken.
“Chairman John Oyegun has breached these good
pledges in a most overt and brazen display,” Mr.
Tinubu said. “In doing so, Oyegun has dealt a heavy
blow to the very party he professes to lead. It is an
awful parent who suffocates his own child for the
sake of a few naira.”
Mr. Oyegun played down Mr. Tinubu’s statement in
a brief exchange with reporters in Benin, the Edo
State capital, saying he would rather focus on the
gubernatorial election that is underway across the
state.
“We don’t want to lose focus and I know Asiwaju
also wants us to win because we all have worked
hard for this,” Mr. Oyegun said. “But may be after
Edo elections, after we must have emerged
victorious, we may speak on some of the issues
raised.”
Mr. Oyegun, nonetheless, denied the allegations as
raised by Mr. Tinubu.
“All I can say now is that most of the things said in
the papers about me are not true. I have always
believed in internal democracy, that the credibility
of primaries must be taken seriously,” he said.
Mr. Oyegun said considering the position of Mr.
Tinubu in the APC, he would have to make wider
consultation before issuing a response even after the
election in Edo.
“Asiwaju is a well-respected leader of our party so, I
cannot be seen speaking evil against him. I have to
consult properly with other leaders of the party
before we make any definite statement,” Mr. Oyegun
said.
Supporters Mr. Oyegun and Mr. Tinubu have queued
behind the two politicians in the standoff.
On Monday evening, the Deputy National Publicity
Secretary of the party, Timi Frank, joined Mr.
Tinubu and openly called for Mr. Oyegun’s
resignation, accusing him lacking leadership
qualities.
“As far as I am aware, APC under Oyegun has not
been able to resolve one crisis in this party,” Mr.
Frank said.
APC United Front, a pressure group of politicians
from the Northeast Zone of the party, on Tuesday
warned Mr. Tinubu not to allow his “selfish
interest” to destroy the party.
The group described Mr. Oyegun as “honest,
dedicated, committed, and God fearing”.
The crisis has generated conversations about the
future of the ruling party, and the likelihood of it
imploding barely three years after it was established,
and over a year after winning the presidential
election.