Osun: APC chieftain blames Buhari for loss, asks president to emulate Obasanjo

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, John Mayaki, has blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for the party’s loss in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.

Mayaki indicted Buhari in the recent struggles by the APC as evident in the defeat of the incumbent Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola and the loss of the governorship in Edo State, last year.

He accused the President of negligent management of party activities and ‘suicidal’ tolerance of anti-party activities within the ranks, according to a report by The Punch.

Mayaki, who chaired the Media Council of the Edo APC in the 2020 governorship election, said even though the President’s non-interference through the infamous ‘federal might’ represented a good development for the country’s democracy, he has, however, abandoned his obligations as the leader of the party.

According to him, Buhari as the leader ought to be spearheading efforts to unite the ranks, enforce loyalty and expand political control and his failure to do these had brought the party to the point of losing an election where its candidate was the incumbent.

He warned that unless the President changed approach to party issues, it may complicate the party’s chances in the 2023 elections.

He said, “The anti-party activities of top-ranking APC members, governors and ministers under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is to blame for the electoral misfortune of the party in Edo and Osun states.”

READ: Osun Election: Buhari congratulates Adeleke over victory

“Poor reward system of the party and that of the president, if not checked, could impact negatively on the party just as the ‘I don’t care attitude’ of Mr. President as a party man. The president is the leader of the party and he doesn’t appear concerned if the party collapses under his watch.

“In Edo State, we have a deformed Assembly lacking the inclusion of the majority because duly elected members are yet to be inaugurated. Mr. President has shown no serious concern about this dangerous development, despite the fact that the affected people are all members of the party he leads.

“Under President Buhari, the APC governors worked against the party in Edo State similar to how figures in his cabinet have been fingered in the loss of Osun State. But Mr. President won’t lift a finger to either reprimand these party saboteurs, instead, he signals tolerance that further emboldens them.”

Mayaki also criticised Buhari’s refusal to sack non-performing members of his cabinets and government who, according to him, had shown themselves incapable of bringing an end to the insecurity that plagued the country.

He urged bold management, asking the President to learn party leadership from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Mayaki called on party members in Osun State to learn the necessary lessons from the defeat and work harder toward delivering Asiwaju Bola Tinubu next year in the presidential election.

He also warned the PDP not to “delude themselves into believing that taking Osun means winning the presidency as it is a different ball game entirely.”