Party's crisis deepens as Atiku's loyalists plot to silent Tinubu

It has emerged that the absence of the Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party on Friday, July 3, was due to a plot by some members to humiliate him.

According to an official of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), Tinubu was aware that there were ulterior plans against him and his loyalists.

“Tinubu knew that some people were prepared to fight him. He would have been humiliated by some people.

“Those who were to humiliate him were on ground but his absence saved the day,” the official said

He said the leadership of the party was aware that the meeting was prone to spark ugly scenes, so it thought of barring journalists from covering the gathering.

“We tinkered with the plans of barring journalists from covering the event. We knew that anything could happen but we didn’t want to be ridiculed in the public.

“The President’s men refused to buy into the campaign that the National Chairman was compromised by Saraki.

“They didn’t see any evidence to that effect. Rather they believe that those who want him out were angry that that their agenda of encircling the president failed.

“They were angry that Oyegun was called up at 4am by forces from Lagos to do a dirty job. They even dropped the name of the President in all those dirty jobs. Instead of apologising to Mr President for lying with his name they are insisting that the National Chairman must go,” the source explained.

He said the party should be “happy that PDP did not elect one of its own senate president. Saraki saved the party because there was nothing we would have done if they had elected one of their own as senate president. They formed a quorum, we were lucky that it did not go into their head to elect one of their own as senate presidents. And the mistake was because somebody in his desperation to have everything lied that the President called a meeting and took our lawmakers to a place they were not supposed to be.”

According to him, Atiku’s loyalists were not in support of Oyegun’s removal because they were bent on nailing Tinubu.

“The other tendency which is loyal to the former Vice President does not want the structure of the party changed. It is against allowing Tinubu to take everything or call the shot in APC. It believes that the Vice President is a product of Tinubu and that should be enough for him.”

He noted that“both Buhari’s men and that of Atiku worked together to save Oyegun. However, I don’t think the fight is over, it may be the beginning.”