Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, of clannishness and nepotism.
In a statement he titled “How Oshiomhole promoted impunity and circumvented due process in APC primary elections,” Okechukwu accused the APC chairman of appointing nine Edo indigenes as chairmen of party primaries in the states.
He listed the names of the Edo indigenes as: Chairman National Appeal Panel, Prof O. Osunbor; Chairman, Kebbi State, Prof. O. Osunbor and Chairman, Abia State, Chief David Iyoha. According to him others are Chairman Ebonyi State, Senator Domingo Obande; Chairman, Enugu State, Prof Moses Momoh; Chairman, Niger State, Lucky Imafuen; Chairman, Kano State, Dr. Pius Odubu; Chairman, Kaduna State, Chief Matthew Iduyehue and Chairman, Akwa Ibom State, Abbas Briamah.
Okechukwu alleged that there were other uncountable Edo members for governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly panels, and said his predecessor, John Odigie-Oyegun, has been vindicated.
“May I ask Oshiohmole what is impunity and circumvention of due process and disrespect to our great party, more than authoritarianism? Or did he abide by the fine tenets of democracy in the conduct and supervision of the primaries? Were there natural justice, equity and level playing field? No, as exemplified below:-
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“There was no natural justice, equity and fair play when Oshiomhole populated or rather corrupted the primaries with his Edo field commanders inter-alia.
“Chair, kindly note that the Federal Character principle as enunciated in the 1999 Constitution, the constitution of the APC and extant laws, frown at nepotism and food-is-ready for his cronies. One is of the considered opinion that each state is entitled to one head of the panel, if pecuniary consideration is not paramount. lt is my candid view that each state and FCT have eminent persons to head one panel each, instead of fanning out kindred and cronies as if it were bazaar handouts.”
“Accordingly, without being immodest, one challenges Oshiomhole, outside pontification and self denial, in the tradition of the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari, to set up a public inquiry to investigate the phone call-log and possibly accounts of all the panelists and his aides and associates.”