Ahead of today’s inauguration of the Ninth National Assembly and election of principal officers, stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South East and South South have cautioned the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, over comments capable of destroying the party.

Issa-Onilu had, yesterday morning, issued a statement, saying the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had formally adopted Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who was involved in the mace-snatching saga in the Eighth National Assembly, as the party’s candidate for the position of deputy Senate president.

According to the Chairman of the South East and South South Progressives Mind (SSPM), Chief Amadi Amstrong, any decision of the APC NWC must be duly, appropriately and well-communicated to party leaders, chieftains, members, loyalists, well-wishers and the general public.

In a statement issued in Asaba, capital of Delta State, yesterday, the group faulted Issa-Onilu for misleading not only contenders for the position of deputy senate president but also, the general public, whose interest would be protected by the national assembly.

He said: “The pronouncement of the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu on the purported adoption of senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the party’s candidate for the position of deputy senate president, is self-serving and unpatriotic as it is Onilu’s wishful thinking and not the position of President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders of our great party including highly respected members of the APC NWC.

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He said: “The APC has a working system and procedures are professionally and duly followed.

“We know that, if truly the president and members NWC of our great party have adopted Omo-Agege, their decision would be communicated in a robust and just manner.

“Issa-Onilu should guide his utterances as they are capable of causing disharmony among party stakeholders.

“We stand firmly with all contenders for the position of deputy senate president and wish them all best of luck in the contest on the floor of the Red and Green chambers.”

While pledging their unalloyed support for the duo of Senator Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for the positions of senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively, the group urged the party leadership allow free contest for other positions in the National Assembly.