A former Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed to provide leadership both at the National level and Oyo state.
Shittu, who stated this in Abuja at the weekend when he spoke to newsmen said he is ashamed of the series of crisis within the party which he blamed on poor management of affairs.
“We worked tirelessly to ensure that we build a party, which is different from anything that Nigeria has ever known. We wanted a truly progressive party that will do things differently from what those you call conservatives or corrupt politicians did.
“Unfortunately,because of poor leadership, both at the national level and in my state, Oyo, we have series of crises which are continuing. I feel ashamed that we have found it difficult to rarely provide requisite leadership as regards to management of our party” he said.
On corruption, the former Minister said, “I think corruption runs across all political parties and I am saying this with all due respect to those who are not corrupt and if I say those who are not corrupt, they are in all parties just like the opposite.
“The common denominator is that corrupt people are Nigerians and many people cannot be compartmentalised on the basis of party, when discussing corruption. It will be unfair and deceptive to assume that corruption in Nigerian politics exist in some political parties.”
Reacting to the purported endorsement of his adversary, a former governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to fill the vacant position of the National Vice Chairman left by Niyi Adebayo, Shittu said, “I am not aware of any formula, saying State A deserves this position or State B deserves that. To me, it is not about states, it is about the quality of the person we are putting forward. Remember that in Yoruba land, which is the South-West, we have men of integrity who are many in APC.
“So, if we must have a party, we must agree to get the best, notwithstanding the state such a person comes from. Having said that, it would also mean that whoever takes that position must not be somebody who has done more damage to our party and that brings me to the issue of possibility of Ajimobi.
“Ajimobi, as a Deputy National Chairman will make our party a laughing stock. This is somebody who stayed in power as governor for eight years during which he never allowed any congress to be done or allow for free and fair democratic selection process during party primaries.
“As a progressive party, we must not just be mere claimants of progressivism or to be democratic. We must always walk our talks and practicalise our claims.
“So, we cannot have somebody like Ajimobi, who never allowed free and fair elections for party offices and for candidates to emerge and in eight years organise a funny local government election less than a year to his exit as well as brought our party to shame in the sense that it was under him APC lost to a less fancied Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State.
“With such a person as deputy national chairman of the party; what impression do we give to the outside world and in what way will his coming be able to assist the process of reconciliation in our party?”
