The suspended Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has said that there is currently no ruling party in the nation, citing disorganisation of the party as reason for his stance.
Speaking at an interview with journalists in Abuja, Thursday, Mr. Frank said the APC was more disorganised than the opposition People Democratic Party, which has been bedevilled by leadership crisis.
“Today, practically I don’t even think we have a party. The party today is in disarray, there is confusion. I think we are even more disorganised than the opposition,” he said.
“I challenge anybody who will come out and say we are not disorganised; I have every proof to show that we are even more disorganised than the opposition.”
Mr. Frank was suspended last year following the recommendation of a five-member panel, which investigated his alleged disparaging comments against the party in the media.
He did not appear before the committee, which he described as a “kangaroo panel.”
He had been critical of the party’s national leadership, particularly the National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, who he repeatedly claimed was not fit to run the ruling party.
Mr. Frank’s main grouse was that he was not elevated to the position of the national publicity secretary when its former occupant, Lai Mohammed, was appointed information minister in 2015.
The deputy spokesperson of the party told journalists on Thursday that despite his suspension, he was still acting in that office and vowed not to relent in the efforts to put the party back on track.
He expressed disappointment at Mr. Odigie-Oyegun’s position on the April convention of the party.
He said, “It’s very disappointing; if the chairman can come out and say we will have a convention in April; then suddenly he reversed himself with an embarrassing statement that we cannot have the convention because we have no money. This is very embarrassing for a ruling party.
“There was no time when we were in PDP, PDP will come out and say such. A party with over 19 governors? A convention is a very important issue. If I was the national chairman I would have resigned. A ruling party does not need to beg for money, all you need is to have a strong agenda.
“During the time of Baba Akande, he was acting chairman. That was my best time in the party. During that time, with less governors and no president, but we could come up to hold our convention. the party had money, we were paying salaries at that time, today we cannot pay salaries at the secretariat; even light bills we cannot pay.”
On his alleged rift with Mr. Odigie-Oyegun, Mr. Frank said it was not personal, insisting that he only wanted the party to succeed.
“My problem with Oyegun is not personal. I want this party to succeed. The role I played to bring this change government, so many ministers did not do that much, but we are not complaining.”
“The national chairman of the ruling party in Kenya is 30 years old. The party is doing well. If a 30-year-old man can run a party so well, why can’t I?
“If Oyegun today steps down someone from the South-South where I come from will emerge leader of the party. I am not complaining because I want to be the chairman, there is so much crisis in this party.
“You can see that up till now we do not have a BOT. During the days of the PDP, we had the NWC and the NEC. Final decisions were usually taken by the NEC, but today the NWC has been exhibiting so much impunity”.
Mr. Frank reiterated his earlier stance that the party might die if it failed to address current challenges militating against the success of this administration.
“Until our party we get it right, we should not expect anything good in 2019. The votes of Nigerians will and must count in 2019 as it did in 2015. If the people voted us in, 2015; then they can equally vote us out, if they are not happy,” said Mr. Frank.
