On Friday, the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, revealed that he celebrated his birthday party with some opposition members in attendance because he wanted to pass a message across.
He also said the APC would face challenges during the 2023 elections as the party seeks to retain its status.
Oyegun said this during an interview he had with ARISE NEWS. He opined that these issues will come about due to the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the key figure of the agenda of the APC will not be able to contest for the Presidency.
“When the APC was formed, all the predictions were that it will implode in another year or two, but the APC did not implode,” he said.
“The APC will have issues in 2023, and it has to start now, it has time to put its acts together for 2023. In 2023, there will be no President Buhari.”
The former APC Chairman, however, rebuffed allegations that the APC had failed to deliver on its promises to citizens of the country as he insisted that they did not at any time promise an overnight change. He admitted, however, that things were not as easy as they had thought.
“We never told you that we have that magic switch which immediately our president is turned into office, he flicks it, the whole of the country has changed. No, it is a process and let me admit, the realities on ground turned out to be a little bit more difficult than we thought,” he said.
“Even as we move to the very next level, we are carrying change with us.”
Oyegun, speaking further on his birthday celebration with some opposition party members, revealed that he made the move to send a message.
“I wanted to make a point so I invited people across the party divide because we are not enemies, we all want to govern Nigeria. We may have different methods, but that does not make us mortal enemies. So I thought that was an opportunity to make that point,” he said.
Oyegun as well touched on the crises which had rocked the party in his home State of Edo saying:
“We cannot allow this crisis in Edo state or even in the party. My message is that we must try to achieve a leadership that is by compromise, by agreement, and that is inclusive. We must let the constitution, both of the party and the nation to be our guide,” he said.
“I have always believed that things can be done better. That our politics does not have to be as aggressive as it is.
“When we embarked on the doctrine of change, for me, this meant change for everybody in the nation, change in our attitude, change in our respect for law, change in our respect for due process, change in our respect for what is right and our ability to differentiate it from what is wrong. And I offered myself for leadership because I wanted to contribute to that process, that our politics can be different.”
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