Posted by By FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
Embattled presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari on Monday said that if there was anybody to quit the party, it was the national chairman and his running mate, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke.
Embattled presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari on Monday said that if there was anybody to quit the party, it was the national chairman and his running mate, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke.
He said that Chief Ume-Ezeoke should resign because as the national chairman of the party, he sold ANPP to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
"He can't be working with the PDP and still be directing our party. He has to go," Buhari said.
The presidential candidate, who spoke through the Deputy Chairman, Publicity Committee of the ANPP Presidential Organisation, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, described the attack launched on him by Ume-Ezeoke as absurd, especially coming at a time committed members of the party were making moves to reconcile aggrieved members.
Okechukwu accused the party chairman of being economical with the truth to justify his offering ANPP for sale by claiming that the resolve to join the Yar'Adua government of national unity (GNU) was a unanimous decision of the party's organs.
He said that the decision to join the PDP government had long been taken before meetings were held on it, pointing out that the communiqué of the meeting where the ANPP decided to partner with PDP was signed last June 27, while the meetings held in July.
"To put the record straight and for the avoidance of doubt, Chief Ume-Ezeoke had entered into the agreement with the PDP before convening the meetings he claimed to have convened", Okechukwu maintained.
He stated that General Buhari could simply not have participated in the sham because he believed that no election took place and that PDP just allocated to itself electoral victory.
Daily Sun had on Monday reported Ume-Ezeoke as saying Buhari was free to leave the ANPP instead of engaging in brickbat with the party.
"If he doesn't buy the decision of the party to go into government of national unity, which is unanimous not to talk of being a majority decision, the honourable thing to do is to opt out of the party, just as the AC leaders did. That is the position of honour. If am the one not satisfied with my party's position, I will go and possibly form my party," Ume-Ezeoke had said.