Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cancel the results of Ondo governorship primary and organise a fresh election.
But he came short of calling for the removal of the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as demanded by the party’s National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu.

In the September 3 primary, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said to have been backed by Oyegun defeated Olusegun Abraham who was publicly endorsed by Tinubu.
Tinubu said a review panel had recommended that the primaries be cancelled due to irregularities and that the National Working Committee had approved the decision.
He however said Oyegun ignored the recommendation and went ahead to present Akeredolu’s name to the electoral commission.
In a statement issued by his media office yesterday Atiku called on the APC to retrace its steps and do the needful to restore confidence among conflicting stakeholders in the interest of the ruling party.
“It is imperative for the national leadership of the party to live by the rules of internal democracy and respect for democratic consensus,” he said. “You cannot break your own rules without creating problems” he added.
“The party is supposed to be an impartial entity in the arbitration of crisis amongst its members in any given election.
“Since the APC found veritable reasons to review the outcome of the gubernatorial primary election it conducted in Ondo State, and was able to establish valid grounds to cancel that election and call for a fresh one, the decision to deviate from its own resolution is a negation of due process and an unfashionable hollow in democratic best practices.
“It was wrong for the APC to have set aside a resolution it had reached aimed at resolving the crisis in our party in Ondo State. It is a recipe for acrimony and division,” the statement said.
The former Vice President also noted that pretending a problem did not exist won’t make that problem go away.
He advised the party leadership to do a soul searching and address the reason why this problem arose and escalated.
“The party leadership should always be guided by respect for the rules, fairness, equity, neutrality and respect for democratic consensus,” he said
The former Vice President, however, urged the aggrieved APC members in the Ondo election to exercise restraint in seeking redress to the crisis.


Party leaders in crucial meeting
Our correspondents gathered that while Chief Oyegun and some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are in Edo State, some of the stakeholders of the party, including the National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni were holding crucial meeting in Abuja as part of efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
Buni was yet to respond to a text message at the time of filing this report but a source close to the meeting said “everybody in the party is worried.”
“There is no way we can say all is well when two notable personalities in the party have problem. However, I am sure we would come out stronger and hopefully, Tinubu and Oyegun would see ‘eye-to-eye,’” he said.
Tinubu had accused Oyegun of disrespecting the rule of law and fair play as enshrined in the APC Constitution.
“To rescue the party, Oyegun must go,” Tibubu had said in a lengthy statement on Sunday. “He has shown that he and democratic fair play cannot exist in the same party at the same time,” the statement said.
“For those who care about the party, who care about Nigeria and its chance for a better tomorrow, now is the time to stand against this brewing evil before it grows to encompass all we have built and all we hold dear.
“Chairman John Oyegun has breached these good pledges in a most overt and brazen display. In doing so, Oyegun has dealt a heavy blow to the very party he professes to lead.
Oyegun, who is now in Edo State for the gubernatorial election, told journalists in Benin, on Monday, that Tinubu remains his leader and would not exchange accusations with him.
“Asiwaju is a well-respected leader of the APC and as such, I cannot be heard speaking evil against him. You know we have a crucial election here in Edo which is my priority right now.
“I don’t want to lose focus and I know Asiwaju also wants us to win because we all worked hard for this. So may be after the election if there is need, I will speak if there is no need, I will relax,” he said.

Read more at http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/ondo-atiku-backs-tinubu-faults-oyegun/164420.html#9lCYbVF9VyjgEwhp.99

Just one word.

Oyegun's days are numbered as the Chairman. He seems to have forgotten how he got there.