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Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Miffed by the recent attack on the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the party’s Edo State stakeholders have threatened to institute legal action against the Director-General APC Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh. Lukman, if he fails to retract his allegations with apology within seven days.
Describing the DG’s allegations as malicious, insulting, the stakeholders accused him of visiting Edo State Government House to collect Ghana-Must-Go, threatening to expose all his dealings with the Edo State government for the world to know his deceitful nature.
In a statement the stakeholders issued in Abuja, signed Francis Inegbeneki, Suleiman Bagudu, chairman and secretary respectively they insisted that he ceased being PGF DG from the day he decided to market his soul to those who were afraid of the on-going reforms in the APC spearheaded by the Oshiomhole-led NWC.
They described him as a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) mole, warning the chairman of PGF to call him to order.
“The attention of the Edo State APC stakeholders has been drawn to the so-called memo written to the Bisi Akande-led APC National Reconciliation Committee by the DG of the PGF, wherein he accused Oshiomhole, of being the problem in the APC.
“We find that statement as malicious as it was insulting and we have given the sycophantic DG of the forum seven days to withdraw the offensive statement and apologise to Comrade Oshiomhole or risk legal action.
“Whereas, the entire content of his so-called memo is tantamount to arrant nonsense, he has, as a matter of fact, ceased being the DG of the PGF from the day he decided to market his soul to those who were afraid of the on-going reforms in the APC being spearheaded by the Oshiomhole-led NWC.
“He obviously has turned himself to a PDP man, masquerading as an associate of APC governors. For so long, we have kept quiet to his tantrums against the APC national chair, thinking that himself and his co-travelers, including Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, would turn a new leaf but they have persisted in their evil plot against Oshiomhole.
“Comrade Oshiomhole is not in the same category with small-minded men, like Lukman, who are making frantic efforts to please their paymasters. We are aware of his nocturnal visits to Edo Government House where he leaves with Ghana-Must-Go bags.
“If his memo is not full of mischief and motivated by a compromised conscience that was not out to promote reconciliation, he should not have sent it to the press before making it available to the committee members.
“The point we make is that a memo he had prepared for the Bisi Akande committee should not have got to the press before members of the committee.
“To appreciate how mischievous the so-called Lukman is, he delved into Edo State politics to appease his paymaster when he claimed the national chairman is surrounded by sycophants in Edo as a result of which he (national chairman) does not take advice.
“If he does not know, the biggest sycophants around Oshiomhole were his (Lukman’s) friends – Obaseki and Philip Shaibu – who are his links to Edo State Government House. These two people deceived Oshiomhole into giving them power and today they want to kill all the leaders in Edo due to their desperation for a second term.
“We advise Lukman to continue to cultivate his new farm in Obaseki and Shaibu but he should stop insulting Oshiomhole or APC leaders because they are not on the same political pedestal.
“If he wants to be the national chairman of the APC, he should wait for the next national convention to contest. But he should first test his popularity in his home state by running for the councillorship position and see if he will win,” the statement read.
Reacting further, they said: “We use this opportunity to also call on the chairman of the APC PGF, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, to call his DG to order unless he is the one fuelling the insults against Oshiomhole.
“It is even an insult on the governors to see their national chairman being attacked persistently by their DG. It is uncalled for and unacceptable to us.
“Edo APC will not tolerate any attempt to take Oshiomhole for granted by bread-and-butter men like Lukman.
“We will soon expose all Lukman’s dealings with the Edo State government and the world will know how deceitful he is. Indeed, Lukman lacks the moral standing to talk about Oshiomhole. He should go and contest election or keep his mouth shut,” the statement from the stakeholders read.
