The suspended Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the
All Progressives Congress, Mr. Timi Frank, has cautioned
the party against repeating the same mistakes made by
the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said the APC should avoid displaying the kind of
arrogance which led to the rejection of the PDP by the
Nigerian people during the 2015 general elections.
Frank said this in Abuja on Wednesday while reacting to
an interview granted by the party’s National Chairman,
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in Benin on Tuesday.
The party’s National Chairman was quoted as saying the
party was not threatened by the proposed mega party and
that members of the APC, who were considering joining
the party, were free to go.
Frank said such “arrogant” comments, coming from the
party’s national chairman about a yet-to-be-formed
political group was capable of inciting the Nigerian public
against the APC.
Frank recalled that similar dismissive comments by a
former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,
during the merger, which led to the formation of the APC,
won over several Nigerians to the side of the APC.
He noted that what Odigie-Oyegun should concentrate on
at the moment was to reconcile aggrieved members of
the party, some of whom he claimed contributed
immensely to the party instead of creating further division
in the party.
Frank said, “I can say this emphatically that my national
chairman has not met with any of the aggrieved national
leaders of the APC.
“I think as a party, we should not undermine the strength
of this much-talked-about mega party, whether it is a
rumour or not. I think we should do everything possible to
defeat the move through genuine reconciliation within us.
“We must remember that this is how the PDP took the
APC for granted during the formation stage, and the likes
of Bamanga Tukur were busy saying ‘no vacancy in Villa’,
‘PDP will rule for 60 years’; but where are they today?
“So, our national chairman should learn to reconcile
aggrieved members instead of offending them the more.
It has shown today that even ruling party could lose
election; so, we should stop talking arrogantly because we
are in power.”
