John Adams in Minna

A Chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state and former Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, has exonerated both the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of any blame over the outcome of the Bayelsa governorship debacle, saying that APC should blame itself for the nullification of David Lyon’s mandate by the Supreme Court.

According to him, “APC is the architect of its present predicaments if the truth must be told and the consequences must be damning. You can only reap what you planted.”

Vatsa, a former publicity secretary of the party in the state who was reacting to comments by the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole condemning both the Supreme Court and INEC over the disqualification of the governor elect, said the party leadership should look inwards and ask themselves some fundamental questions rather than engaging on what he called ‘dictatorial comments’ which are capable of causing breakdown of law and order in the country.

“I strongly think that the party leadership should tell us the people that screened the deputy governor elect, Biobarakuma Degi-Eriemienyo to contest the election in the first place. Which paper did he present to the screening committee before he was cleared.

“Or didn’t he undergo screening before contesting the primary election of the party, the national leadership of the party owes us some explanations.

“Until the national leadership of our party answers these questions, the national Chairman should stop chasing shadows. You can’t plant yam and want to harvest cassava, It’s not possible.

Related News

“If the National Chairman is struggling to keep his job as the national Chairman of the party despite the huge crisis that have bedeviled the party under him, there are better ways to go about it.”

Vatsa pointed out that the party lost elections in Rivers, Zamfara and now Bayelsa because the party leadership imposed candidates on the people due to their selfish interest and not of the party’s interest, stressing that the pains the party is going through today are self inflicted pains.

“Politics of godfatherism is almost consuming the party. APC is becoming like animal farm where some animals are more equal than the other, and this is not good for a party that came with “change mantra.”

Vatsa traced the genesis of the crisis in APC in almost all the states of Federation today to injustice and lack of FairPlay which he said led to the failure of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, stressing that anywhere there is no justice and equity, crisis takes center stage.

He warned that if the party did not put its house in order before 2023, it might as well forget retaining power at the center because a party where crisis is the hallmark of its achievements must surely crumble.

In his words, “honestly I am not a prophet but I see President Buhari going with his party in 2023. What is happening today in our government is far from the change that we promised Nigerians.”

Vatsa therefore sympathized with David Lyon whom he said saw the gate of heaven but couldn’t enter “because the party leadership failed in its responsibility.”