Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, said the decision to remove former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole and other NWC members was not targetted at undermining the influence of the APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu.
He said the decision was to bring peace to the party.
Governor Bello said this while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Friday.
He said: “The assertion that some governors decided to create the crisis in the party is unfounded. We can’t demolish a house that we built. Oshiomhole did not offend anyone and nobody offended Oshiomhole.
“Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a leader, a father, a founding member of this great party. He contributed immensely to making sure that the party attains the height it has attained today. He has paid his due and continues to pay his due,” he said.
“Nobody, however highly placed or lowly placed you are in the party, will ever undermine that great leader. Nobody is undermining him. He is still a father; he’s one of our national leaders and he continues to contribute.
“In the whole of this misunderstanding so far, nobody has heard him making any comments for or against anybody that has different or opposing opinions. Rather, he continues to maintain and play that fatherly role. Both APC and PDP gravitate towards him.
“So, nobody is going to say that he’s being undermined or he’s going to be removed. No. We need him; he needs us and he will continue to be a leader of our great party.”
Governor Bello added that the dissolution of the National Working Committee and other decisions reached at the National Executive Council meeting of the party on Thursday made the APC stronger.
According to Bello, the progress that has been achieved by the APC will be proved in the coming elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti, Osun states.
He said, “APC is getting stronger, and like I said, it’s going to be proved in the next few days or the next few weeks to come in the election of Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti, Osun states.
“It’s unfortunate that our colleague, my brother, and my in-law, Obaseki has left us, but as a party and a party-loyal man, we have to reclaim him.
“I can tell you that there are up to 10 PDP governors ready to join APC and that would happen very soon.”
Bello also debunked claims that the APC will fall apart when President Muhammadu Buhari, leaves office, saying those with such notions “are making a great mistake”.