By Thompson ABISOLA
An estranged chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Mr. Fouad Oki, on Tuesday reiterated that his group was not being sponsored by some influential people in the party.
Oki said the force behind him and his group was the need to do things right in the APC in Lagos and end what he called a culture of impunity.
He decried what he described as poor internal democracy in the chapter, saying that all he stood for was due process and adherence to party rules and regulations.
“I hear all these things that a Minister and Dr.MuizBanire were the people behind me and what we are trying to establish here and I laugh, because it is all falsehood.
“I have not spoken or met these individuals in months, let alone taking instructions from them on how things should go in the party.
“Those who know me know that I have always fought impunity and any disregard for the constitution in the party.I have always insisted things should be done rightly and the records are clear on that.
“So it is not about individuals, it is about the fact that things must be done right and that we must practice true democracy in the party,’’ he said.
Oki said the legitimacy of his group could not be faulted as it organised all its congresses in accordance with the law.
He explained that the Lagos APC, led by AlhajiTundeBalogun, based its congresses on the 57 councils, instead of the 20 approved by INEC, which was also enshrined in the party’s constitution.
“And this is what we are challenging. We are already in a Lagos court, requesting it to interpret what the law says about electing delegates.
“Whether it was right to hold congresses in unapproved wards and Local Government Areas, this is the constitutional issue we are challenging,” he said.
Oki, however, pointed out that attending the convention was not the ultimate goal of their struggle but doing the right things in the party.
He said the convention might be successful based on the planning put into it, but the constitutional issues remained in the chapters.
According to him, if the issues were not resolved in accordance with the law, the whole exercise might end up a nullity.
Reacting, the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the APC, MrAbiodun Salami, dismissed Oki as chasing shadows and in search of relevance.
He said a court had cleared the delegates of the state chapter and they played their part at the national convention.
Salami, however, urged Oki and his group to retrace their steps by returning to the main fold of the party. He urged them to stop challenging the structure for indefensible reasons.
