AHEAD SWEARING-IN: APC MEET AGGRIEVED GROUPS IN KOGI OVER YAHAYA BELLO

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Thursday met with aggrieved party members from Kogi East Senatorial District of Kogi State in a bid to settle the differences that arose in the aftermath of the death of the party’s candidate in the November 22, 2015 governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu.

Led by the Kogi State APC Chairman, Haddy Amefuo, the Kogi East political leaders met with Odigie-Oyegun at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.Odigie-Oyegun explained that the decision to pick Yahaya Bello, now the governor-elect, to replace Audu and contest the supplementary election was the best option in order to avoid legal pitfalls. He promised the Audu political family that they will play important roles in the political arrangements in the state. A meeting between the APC leadership and “core” members of the Audu political family will hold on a yet-to-be-announced date.Expected at the meeting are Prof. Daniel Isah, the Director General of the Prince Abubakar Audu Campaign Organisation and Zonal Vice Chairman of the APC; Mohammed Audu, son of the late aspirant; and former Minister, Humphrey Abba, amongst other leaders of the “core” group.Rising from a close-door meeting at the APC headquarters, Amefuo said the leaders from the zone have decided to stand by the decision of the party’s leadership and close ranks.Odigie-Oyegun said at the meeting: “I don’t think that it is right to think that the National leadership of the All Progressives Congress took a decision and thereafter turned its back.

“We will not do that.“We guarantee that the political family that has lost its leader will participate effectively in the unfolding events in the next few weeks.“I expect and hope that consultations at various levels are going on, so that if there is a gap, we at the National Headquarters know what steps to take to correct the situation before it becomes a problem “We took the decision (to replace Audu with Bello)  in a circumstance that someone was bound to get offended.“And we were very conscious of the very peculiar circumstance of a group that was on the doorstep if victory.“So in the circumstance, we did what we interpreted legally as the best way out of the jam we were in.“Always having our eyes on the Peoples Democratic Party and what they may likely bring up in court.“INEC asked us to replace the late Prince Abubakar Audu.“Good! “Which one can we defend better if they go to court?“That was the basis of our decision.“But of course it created understandable anguish.

“So what we are trying to do is to say we know you are badly bruised.“We hope tempers are cooling down.“We hope we can now talk about the next steps that will restore some semblance of normalcy all over Kogi State.“In politics, everybody works for his own inheritance.“It is not passed on from father to child.“Of course the father can help the child no question about that.“The child can benefit from the father’s influence, personality and the rest.“But he has to earn it.

“Politics is not an inheritance.“All we want is some semblance of normalcy, reconciliation.“So if meeting with the core group before the larger group, will help that, we are up for it.“We must act fast and quick because the process of putting things together post-January is already underway.“We want to be able to stand together as a party as guarantors of the Abubakar Audu political family.

“Time is not in our side.”