Omisore mismanaged campaign funds for Osun governorship election – APC Vice Chairman alleges
The North-West National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has accused the National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, of mismanaging the campaign funds given to him by the party to prosecute the Osun State governorship election.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleke, won the July 16, 2022 governorship election after defeating Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.
Lukman stated this on Tuesday during an interview on AIT, where he reiterated his call for Omisore to vacate his seat.
He stressed the need for the party to reactivate all organs of the party, while lamenting that after a year, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee, NWC, has refused to convey the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting, despite the constitution stipulating that NEC must meet every quarter.
Lukman stated: “We must emphasize that acting as a party requires that we activate the organs of the party to function. And I think this is the struggle we have been waging and once the organs of the party are not working, then even the capacity to hold leaders to account will be weak.
“And that is where we are and that is partly what is producing some of the unhealthy development in (the party). For instance, Osun State, which is part of the reason why I said the National Secretary has failed, in terms of stabilizing Osun and uniting people.
“Part of the issue with that is that I’m aware the party has given some campaign funds to Osun which was handled by the National Secretary and to some extent, he has either mismanaged it but more importantly, he’s not accounting to anybody and you have to activate the process of accountability.
“And for me, I think as part of the process of accountability in order to stabilize Osun, I think the National Secretary should also vacate his seat,” he insisted.
The party chieftain noted that his call for Adamu’s resignation was not a witch-hunt, adding that it was part of the sacrifice the ruling party must make to douse tension in the country.
He explained that Adamu’s resignation would pave way for a Christian chairman from the North-west to assume leadership of the party.
Lukman stressed that the same scenario was partly what created the rift between the PDP and the G-5 governors.
According to him, the whole objective of this is to be able to begin to douse the tension, but more importantly to get the party and the moral authority to try the process of negotiation in constituting the leadership of the next government.
The APC national vice chairman stressed that what was witnessed as support for the Labour party and PDP in the February 25 elections was a protest against the APC.
His words: “What you see as the support for Labour Party and even the support for PDP, I can prove it is a protest vote against the APC. No more no less
“And what we should continue asking ourselves constantly, what it is that we have done that is producing this protest vote? and we need to respond to it in a way that really give confidence to Nigerians that we are truly that party of change, which Nigerians have confidence in in 2015 and 2019, and will continue to have confidence in now 23 and beyond. I think that is the challenge before all of us.”
