he National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that despite the allegation of partisanship against President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, the party owes no one any apology.
Odigie-Oyegun spoke with State House correspondents on Monday night after a meeting the party’s National Working Committee members held with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
His statement was a reaction to the allegation that the ongoing anti-corruption war is aimed at further decimating the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
The APC chairman, however, said the party’s position was that the rot in the country must be cleansed, irrespective of whose ox was gored.
He, however, said his party was not interested in a one-party state, noting that the nation needed a constructive opposition.
Odigie-Oyegun added, “The APC is not in any way apologetic. We promised change and there is a lot of rot in the system. This must be cleansed and whosever ox is being gored, wherever the tree is going to fall, so be it.
“We must get used to the fact that in the process of cleansing this nation, there is going to be a lot to be done.
“The APC was not in office at the national level in the last 16 years. So, the issue of whether somebody is PDP or not PDP does not arise. We have a nation to cleanse. The President has committed himself to that and we should support the cleansing whatever way it comes. We are not being apologetic about that at all.
“It is not a witch-hunt. It just happened that the dramatis personae of the period all happened to be on one side of the political divide. We have absolutely no intention to pressurise our nation into a one-party state. It is not in our interest to do so because we need a vibrant opposition.
“We need an opposition that will contribute constructively to national discourse; that will make us sit up and deliver to the people what we promised. But, the tasks are enormous and if anybody is ready to help to discharge these responsibilities, he is most welcomed.”
Odigie-Oyegun, a former Edo State governor, added that the party regretted the bloodshed that characterised the just-concluded governorship election in Bayelsa State.
He said although the APC had a lot of reservations on the final result, it would examine the issues critically and come out with a position soon.
“The Bayelsa election has come and gone. We have very deep regret that there was so much unnecessary bloodshed in the process.
“We have a lot of reservations, some of which our candidate had very eloquently expressed.
We are going to examine what has come out very, very carefully and decide the next line of action,” he said.
The APC chairman also stated that as far as the party was concerned, the Kogi election issue was over.
He explained that all issues arising from the election were currently before various courts, adding that the party would leave the courts to decide on them.
Describing the meeting with the President as a normal interactive meeting, Odigie-Oyegun said the NWC briefed Buhari on the state of the party, the current challenges and the 78 reruns in which the APC would participate.
He added that the President also briefed them on the state of the nation and the work the administration was doing in the face of intense challenges.
