By Lesley Muosowo Otu
The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress APC), Adams Oshiomhole says he is willing to reconcile with the leadership style of others in other to move ahead.
Briefing news men before the commencement of the National Working Committee, NWC, meeting of the party on Tuesday, Oshiomhole acknowledged presence of crisis in the party.
“I do understand events of the last few weeks, particularly arising from our last NWC meeting that was held on the 14th of January and since then, even if we pretend about it, the truth is we have had challenges within our system.
“But as one who has worked from one voluntary organisation, those things are not strange to me. What we would be strange is to have a governing party as large as our party coming from the different background that we all come from – different aspirations, etcetera, but bonded together by a shared vision of building a party that is based on the principle of socio democracy , pro people, pro poor…one that is committed to ensuring that the instrument of state is used to deliver the greatest good to the greatest number.
“And that is why consciously our party chose to be called All Progressives. This party belongs to all progressives elements in the Nigeria society who wish to join our party.
“What binds us together in this party is a lot more than the sum total of all the challenges that anybody can speak of. When I watch the TV and I’m sure that you do too, and you listen to some commentaries, you will even find some who are not members of our party pronouncing with finality on issues of our party”, he said.
He added: “So we do not lay claim to a family that has members who will be so docile that they can argue among themselves or even sometimes who really want to fight. That is the hallmark of democracy.
“It can only be unusual when we fight each other, we quarrel with one another, we develop that level of animosity that we become incapable of sitting down, putting in our thinking cap, reminding ourselves that what binds us together is much more than whatever divides us.
“I think that God is never wrong, He has allowed what has happened to happen so that we all can learn. Everybody re-examine his conscience, strengthen those bonds of friendship, bonds of solidarity and work as a family. I’m honoured to be able to preside here as chairman of this party and I believe that everyone of my colleague in the NWC is honoured out of millions of our members”.
According to him, many were envious of what the APC had achieved since 2015.
“God wants us to run our party in a way that others will be envious of what we have accomplished. And I believe not a few are envious of what we have accomplished. How easy is it to have been able to work and democratically vote out a ruling party and taken over? How easy was it for us to achieve Kwara State, and to recover Gombe state? I can go on and on. With all the challenges, we have recovered Imo State.
“There are cases in court that I pray should be resolved in our favour. I think while our opponents want to amplify the questions that we didn’t answer correctly, we must also remind people the ones we answered very decently.
“So today what we have come here is to remind the people and our members nationwide that this NWC is not divided. It is true we have had arguments, it true some tempers may have been high, it is true some people may have been provoked to try to approach the court, but it is also true that deep in our hearts no one of us wants to destroy our party”, says Oshiomhole
He admitted that he is not the best chairman in the world and will never be.
“But no one can fault the sincerity of my purpose. My style can only be my style. That is the hallmark of democracy. The capacity to transform our divergent views and even you might say conflicting orientation sometimes but no conflicting interest, mission and ambition.
“I want to appreciate our President, with all the challenges he faces that he has time to listen to those who approach him with a view to ensuring that our party remains on course,” he said.
Mr. Oshiomole said the weapon against suspicion is more dialogue and more dialogue.
“People probably need to be reassured that he is not capable of being bias by the very background that he come from. He also recognised that one tree can never make a forest.
“I am a believer in contestation and I am also a believer in conflict resolution. And, those who are thinking we are coming here to box, I wear no boxing gloves. I want to send a message of peace. And I think everybody came here with a good heart and may God see us through this moment. We are going to bounce back stronger and better.”
He appreciated the judiciary and the presiding Judge’s advuce at the Court of Appeal, that ‘I will expect political parties to develop internal mechanisms of resolving their differences without coming to approach us in court’.
“Now if a Judge said that to us in court and we refused to listen, are we not our own enemies? he asked.
“I believe we all listened and we will pull forces of division out of APC. Everyone of us here has made enemies not on account of our personal interest. In the course of defending our party we have attacked people in opposition parties not because we have personal differences, it is because of the complex nature of APC. If I have any energy left, I want to use it in building our party” says Oshiomole.
He added: “Our responsibility as a party now is to engage the government, what do we do so that the government elected on our platform deliver our promises to Nigeria people. These are the kinds of things we should spend more time doing, the Nigeria project not becoming Chairman.
“If I am Chairman and can not walk the streets of Nigeria with pride because my party has not done what is expected I cannot be a happy Chairman and I don’t think any of you will be a happy member. I ask us, in addition to putting what has happened behind us to find time to have objective conversation on how we can generate ideas to support the government.
“I want to spend time on something that concern Nigeria people I didn’t come just to be a Chairman, I wasn’t unemployed and none of you here was unemployed but what brought us here is the fact that we have a party that we have formed not to create divisions,” Oshiomhole stressed.
