Chairman, Oyo State Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the United Kingdom, Elder Kolawole Saidu has dismissed rumours of his purported sack by some members of the group, describing it as a misrepresentation of fact and efforts by some party members to instigate unnecessary crisis.
Saidu also described the alleged sponsored report as a deliberate smear campaign and a ploy by some excessively ambitious elements to tarnish his image and that of the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The Caucus chairman added that those using his allegedly overstay in office as a propaganda has only “joined us or became active recently after or in July this year”.
In a chat with newsmen on Thursday from the United Kingdom, Saidu advised that the orchestrated campaigns of calumny, cheap propaganda, outright falsehood and mundane attempt to malign the group and its executives will not benefit the sponsors and the party.
He disclosed that the rebels are desperate to hijack the leadership of the Party for personal benefits; both in Nigeria and the UK.
In his words, “there is nothing bad if you do not believe in the leadership of a group. You can leave without rocking the boat as a man of conscience and gentleman instead acting deceitfully and embarrassing everyone on the social media using deliberate mistruth.
“Those we took with open arms as brothers who have never been active in the caucus before July this year are the one that have constituted themselves to a group that think they are superior to the rest of us flouting the constitution of the party in a very fragrant way making spurious allegations. I reached out to a number of them but they are recalcitrant and adamant to reasoning and have never offered any best way forward to the one I offered. It has be their way or never
“Social media cannot legitimise illegality. It will only embarrass the party and all of us”, the Chairman counseled.
Saidu continued, “Contrary to what our detractors are pedalling, I have never gone against my promise. I said election would take place and we all agreed way back in January this year.
“He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. The people who accused us of lack of transparency when the “rules of the game” of election was still being perfected two months to the election time are the same people who rushed to the social media perverting the constitution and arrogating power they do not have to themselves. What an irony!
“We will follow and defend the constitution in all we do. You do not become the Chairman of a group through the backdoor. You work for it and pay your dues as at when due and not engaging in “fire brigade” approach fuelled by inordinate ambition to destroy or rubbish what others have built over the years.”
“When you maligned or have to destroy the reputations of others to get to the top, be rest assured that there is law of retributive justice waiting for you as well.
“I want to assure you all that those who are causing mischief among us will be identified and dealt with based on the Party’s constitutional provisions for anti-party activities. No one begs anyone to belong to the party. If you can not respect the rules, be decent enough to leave without causing disaffection”.
The Chairman, however assured that the constituted electoral body will soon come out with their guidelines which will strictly be informed by the provisions of the party’s constitution, maintaining that there would be no bending of rules or provisions of the constitution to suit the whims and caprices of anyone in the name of peace.
“The Party Chairman in Nigeria has advised that we should follow the constitution and ensure that we carry along party echelons both in the UK here and Nigeria”, Saidu submitted.
