Babachir Lawal, the former secretary to the government of the Federation (SGF) has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “funny organisation” under the leadership of Adams Oshiomole as the National Chairman of the party.
While addressing newsmen over the weekend, Babachir Lawal alleged that the north has lost its priviledge in the APC following the suspension of Lawal Shaibu and Inuwa Abdulkadir who are the national Vice-Chairmen of the party in the north and north-west respectively.
He said;
“This APC is funny, as we speak, the chairman and his loyalists have suspended the deputy national chairman (north), the whole north, the chairman, national vice-chairman (north-west) which is the largest geographical zone with seven states has been suspended, he is no longer attending national working committee meeting.
“The national secretary of the party who is from the north, from Yobe, has left to become governor of Yobe state as we speak, there is no firm decision to his replacement.
“For more than one year or so. A very substantial part of the country is not represented in the decision making.”
Babachir further alleged that Oshiomhole does not involve prominent members of the party in decision-making.
He said;
“I’m quite close to members of the NWC, they always complain about not being carried along so the chairman of a party is not an executive president where whatever you say is, you need to carry everyone along.
“That is the essence, a national vice-chairman north-east for example, he is for north-east and there are things unique to the area which he is aware of, which his own exco has brought to him for processing at the national secretariat. If he does not get the proper hearing and opportunity to present those things they are disenfranchised.”
Reacting on the reconciliation panel that was composed to resolve differences among warring members, the former SGF wondered what the panel led by Bisi Akande will achieve as he insisted that it is better for politicians to cut their losses and nurse their wounds rather than be reconciled.
Babachir Lawal said;
“In politics, sometimes it is better not to reconcile, somebody must lose out.
“First of all there has to be confidence restored in the NWC that they capacity to be impartial and fair in the decisions they take on behalf of party members. As I speak I don’t think there is any APC member that can confidently tell you that he expects the NWC to be fair and just in some of the cases because we lost election on account of this.”