No plans to return as APC chair – Oshiomhole

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has denied plotting to return to the position.

Oshiomhole spoke on Monday while addressing State House Correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

The former Edo Governor was reacting to a recent allegation by Director-General of the Progressives Congress Forum (PGF) Salihu Lukman that he was scheming to return as national chairman of the party.

Oshiomhole wondered why anyone would imagine he would like to ‘resit’ a class he had passed, saying only ‘an empty brain’ would suggest that he was plotting a comeback.

He however alleged the PGF DG was being used by some elements within the party, whom he described as “cowards” to attack him.

He said Lukman was allegedly foisted on the PGF as DG by the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Kayode Fayemi.

He, however, said he would not engage in brickbats with Lukman, saying doing so would lower his standard as a gentleman.

“You want me to engage in a fight with a pig? If you engage in a fight with a pig, the pig already is stained by its nature and you will wear your white garment, and in my own case, khaki to go and wrestle with a pig? I will not.

“You see, what I want the media to interrogate, how does winning Edo…when I was removed as national chairman, Edo was APC…So do I have to win Edo to become the chairman? Do I look so unemployed? I’m 68.

“So, what they don’t understand is that it is not the office of chairman that made me who I am.”

He added: “So, it takes an empty brain to suggest that Oshiomhole wants to stage a comeback to become the national chairman. For what? To go and do a resit?

“So, my attitude is not to reply the noise and it is coming from somebody who says he is an employee and appointee of Progressives Governors Forum.

“He is just like the cowards that are using him that are not able to come out. Otherwise, you should ask this guy, who is now an election expert.

“He contested for Senate against Makarfi, he lost. He even contested against Governor el-Rufai during the primaries and he lost before Fayemi unilaterally appointed him the DG.

“So, if he is now the spokesman abusing me and all of that, you want to drag me to his level? No!

“A gentleman does not wrestle with a pig, if you do you will always be stained and I don’t want to get into that,” Oshiomhole said.

On why he was at the State House, Oshiomhole said he visited Buhari to express appreciation for his leadership and reassure him of his absolute loyalty as a party member.

He also said he used the opportunity to brief the President on APC activities in Edo State, saying “from my evaluation, shared with him, I’m very confident that we will win the election hands down because Edo is basically an APC state.

“Some of the things that have made out campaign easier is the fact that we’ve established a tradition in Edo State that don’t believe any politician until you have seen the action, particularly if that politician is already in office,” he said.