You’re A Drowning Man — VON DG Okechukwu Blasts Oshiomhole

Barely 24 hours after the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) announced the lifting of the suspension it slammed on some chieftains of the party, a beneficiary of the latest action, Osita Okechukwu, Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), has dismissed it as fake news coming from a drowning man.

Okechukwu revealed in a statement on Tuesday that neither he nor any of the chieftains mentioned in the decision was suspended by the APC hence the decision to lift a purported suspension was a ruse.

He also urged Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman, APC, to return home to Edo State and quench the fire he ignited there.

Recall that the APC NWC on Monday announced it had lifted its suspension of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Osita Okechukwu, and others.

However, Okechukwu said the purported suspension was in violation of the APC constitution and a nullity ab initio.

Citing various articles of the party’s constitution, the VON DG said the Oshiomhole-led NWC arrogated to itself disciplinary powers that clearly belonged to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party at ward, LGA, state, and national levels, in violation of the APC constitution.

Okechukwu, who said he had been bombarded with calls and messages from well-wishers over the ‘reprieve’, said he was compelled to set the record straight in his own case.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, sincerely one could have kept quiet, as silence is the best answer; but from the numerous congratulations it seems that the general publics are unaware that the purported suspension was a big fake news, as it is only Comrade Oshiomhole who can suspend party members in clear breach of the constitution of APC”.

He explained that his alleged misconduct was he (Okechukwu) rubbished the APC national chairman over his misconduct in the 2019 APC primaries, where he was allegedly rigged out by Oshiomhole.

He said: “Comrade Oshiomhole regrettably violated the constitution of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which on discipline as enshrined in Article 21 of the constitution states inter alia: the power to discipline party members, which is exercised subject to fair hearing, is granted only to the respective Executives Committees of the Ward, LGA, State and National, by virtue of the first paragraph of Article 21 of the APC constitution.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) is not listed as one of the Executive Committees by the constitution and is therefore not bestowed with the power to discipline a party member. There is no denying the fact that suspension is one of the disciplinary measures listed under Article 21 (D) of the constitution.

“The National Working Committee is also not listed in Article 21 (B) (vi) (a) – (e) as one of the adjudicatory bodies with regard to compliant or allegation against any member of the party.

“Also, the powers granted to the National Working Committee under Article 13.4 (i) – (xvii) of the APC constitution does not include power to discipline any member of the party.”

He, therefore, declared that the action by Oshiomhole and his NWC against the chieftains were not in accord with relevant articles of APC constitution and therefore a nullity.

“From the above, my humble self and indeed His Excellencies Rotimi Akeredolu, Rochas Okorocha, Ibikunle Amosun, and Pastor Usani Usani were never suspended by their Ward, LGA, State or National Executive Committee as envisaged by the APC’s constitution.

“Consequently, the drowning Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, instead of searching for straw to cling on, should not only learn that rule of law governs our great party, but should also rush home and quench the inferno he has stimulated in Edo State, as charity has to begin at home,” he added.