Oyegun, Mala Buni Are Taking Over My Role – Apc Deputy Spokesman Cries Out

Source: thewillnigeria.com

SAN FRANCISCO, January 11, (THEWILL) – The All Progressives Congress, APC, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank has accused the party's national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and national secretary, Mallam Mai-Mala Buni, of breaching the party's constitution by usurping responsibilities that should have fallen on him following the appointment of his erstwhile principal, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as Information Minister.

Frank, who bared his mind to journalists at his Abuja residence yesterday, expressed disappointment at a situation whereby other national officers of the party are made to perform the publicity secretary's role in his stead, and called for his office to be scraped since the party does not want to recognize it.

When he was asked what was preventing him from speaking for the party, he said, “I have kept quiet for too long on this issue. I have approached my national chairman times without number and l have approached the elders of my party regarding this. I have even written an official letter regarding this, to allow me exercise my right as the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party.

“So, if the leadership of the party today knows that what they are doing is very, very wrong and if they think they want to continue to sit down and appoint a national publicity secretary, one day, even the chairman would sit down there and some people would appoint the national chairman for the party without following due process.

“It is very risky for anyone that is perpetrating this act within the party that does not want to give me my right. It is my right. So, if as a party, we cannot acknowledge the office of deputies, we should scrap them.

“The constitution of our party is very clear and automatically. l should be the spokesperson of my party. If the leadership of the party today fails to do what is right, Nigerians are watching. If my party cannot recognise my office as deputy spokesperson, then we should scrap the office.

“The National Chairman knows that it is wrong for him to be speaking, when he knows that he has a Deputy National Publicity Secretary just as the national secretary knows that it is wrong for him to be speaking when he knows that there is a Deputy National Publicity Secretary,” he said.

As regards the outcome of last weekend's supplementary governorship elections in his home state of Bayelsa, Frank said President Muhammadu Buhari deserved accolades for ensuring a free, fair and credible conduct of the election as he promised Nigerians.

Frank, who congratulated the winner of that election and the PDP candidate, Governor Seriake Dickson, argued that with what happened in the Bayelsa election, Buhari and indeed the APC-led administration have exhibited the highest level of integrity as far as transparent electoral process is concerned.

His words, “This is to let Nigerians know that President Muhammadu Buhari is man of his words and that he is a credible leader. The credible conduct of the Bayelsa governorship election has shown that the President is a man of integrity and someone who keeps his promise.

“I want to use this opportunity to congratulate INEC and security agencies for their role in ensuring the the conclusion of the governorship election in Bayelsa. To my people, I urge them to remain peaceful no matter who won or lost the election. The peace and unity of Bayelsa is more important than the interest of any politician and we must not allow the electoral contest to tear us apart.”