APC NEC MEETING: Dogara, Lasun absent as Oshiomhole dubs defectors ‘rolling stone’ politicians

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting is currently ongoing at its National Secretariat, Abuja with most of the party’s high ranking members in attendance.

However, the House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara; and his deputy, Suleiman Lasun, who at present are the highest ranking National Assembly members of the party, after Senate President Bukola Saraki dumped the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are conspicuously absent from the meeting.

Though the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, informed the NEC members that Dogara and Lasun sent in letters apologising for their inability to make it to the meeting, there are however speculations that something fishy may be behind the absence of the two principal officers of the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole in his remarks at the meeting said that the APC would never miss politicians such as Saraki and others who have perfected the art of migrating from one party to another with each election season.

He described them as ‘migrant’ and ‘rolling stone’ politicians who left the ruling party not on account of what anybody has done wrong against them, but on account of their ambitions.

He said when he took over as national chairman, that he had initiated peace moves to pacify the feelings of those who had genuine grievances that he felt the party could address.

“But those who were determined to leave, not on account of what anybody has done wrong against them, but on account of an ambition they believe they cannot realise on our platform, even though they were not denied the opportunity to try out that ambition, but perhaps because they could read like an oracle what the future would be, particularly as people have contested before when we didn’t have any incumbent.

“Those who had dollars gave; those who had nails gave and Mr. President said I don’t have, but even if I have, I won’t give, but will offer honest leadership. At the end, the President won, but the victory did not purge those with that ambition and they were determined that they must contest and they were free to do that.

READ ALSO: Issues that will guide APC primaries —Oshiomhole

“I had thought that by the provisions in our party constitution, they had the right to contest and that right was not going to be denied them. But reflecting on what has happened in the past and reading the minds of party members and leaders, they came to the conclusion that the only way they can realise their ambition was to relocate and they relocated,” Oshiomhole said.

Insisting that the recent mass defection that hit the APC is nothing to the party he said, “For distant observers, they think that this is a huge blow to our party. I made a comment which seems to have been misunderstood in some quarters, when I said that if some individuals of no particular fixed political address decide to leave, I will not lose my sleep.

“I speak of no particular fixed address because if you have a history of moving every season from one political party to the other with one constant thing in mind — to contest — now, what is your political address? So, for people like that who are migrant politicians, rolling stone politicians, I am not able to identify their political address and therefore, I refuse to miss my sleep.”

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now