By Olanrewaju Ajao The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie Oyegun has said that the ruling party has no regret or apology to make on the travails of some opposition figures in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The chairman said it is not the fault of the ruling party that chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are mostly at the receiving end of the present activities of EFCC.
Oyegun made the declaration on Monday night while responding to questions from State House correspondents after a meeting of the members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) at the First Lady’s Conference Hall.
Oyegun debunked the allegation that the PDP stalwarts so far arrested were being witch-hunted saying “The APC is not in anyway apologetic. We promised change and there is a lot of rot in the system. This must be cleansed and whoever and whatever ox is being gored, where ever the tree is going to fall, so, let it be. We must get used to the fact that in the process of cleansing this nation there is going to be a lot of bullet to be taken.
“The APC was not in office at national level in the last 10 – 16 years. So, the issue of whether somebody is PDP or not PDP does not arise. We have a nation to cleanse. The President has committed himself to that and we should take it in whatever way it comes. We are not being apologetic about that at all.
It has nothing to do with witch-hunting. It just happened that the dramatist personae of the period all happened to be on one side of the political divide.”
The APC chairman also debunked the allegation that his party was bent on pushing the nation into a one-party state acknowledging, nevertheless, that the country really needed a virile opposition party to develop.
He said “We have absolutely no intention to pressurize any group or any nation towards a one party state. It is not in our interest to do so because we need a vibrant opposition. We need an opposition that will contribute constructively to national discourse, that will make us sit up and deliver to the people what we promised. But the task is enormous and if anybody is ready to help to discharge these responsibilities he is most welcomed.”
The meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari with the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo in attendance.
