I won’t mortgage my conscience to keep APC job –Oshiomhol

The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday, said he would not mortgage his conscience in a bid to keep his job as the party’s chairman.

Oshiomhole said this in an interview with State House correspondents shortly after a meeting he had with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa,  Abuja.

He was reacting to the growing calls for his removal as the party chairman following the crisis that trailed the APC primaries across the country.

The former Edo State Governor said he was committed to justice and fairness.

He added that he was too old to begin to learn new tricks.

He said, “Let me say that if there is a choice between my conscience, what I believe is right and mortgaging that conscience, in order to keep the job, I will have no difficulty resolving it in favour of my conscience.

“Those who know, know that at my age, I cannot learn new tricks.

“I am absolutely committed to justice and fairness. I am a stickler to enforcement of rules because the source of relevance is derived from rules. I have lived my life fighting for justice and fairness.”

Oshiomhole again said only three state governors elected on the APC platform had issues with him.

He, however, described the disagreement as a family affair that would be resolved in due time.

He said while all party members wanted change, the process of such change could be traumatising.

He added, “Three governors are not particularly pleased with the outcome of the primaries in their states.

“Change is easy. We all want change but the process of change can be traumatising.

“These are internal family issues; they are my friends, and that is important. Even in the moment of distress, that friendship, I want to believe, is enough to help us to build reconciliation.

“There is no running away from the fact that we are the governing party who has a higher stake. We are the one in the news. If we were in the stock market, our shares would have increased considerably.

“So, it is not surprising that there is some disquiet but I remain a friend to these governors. I respect them; I appreciate them for the fact that but for their support, I will not be chairman and you don’t go stepping on the toes of those who helped you to get into position.

“However, I thought I was clear and I remain clear that helping me to get to the position, it was to help the  APC to return to its core values of progressive politics, of fairness, of justice, of adherence to rule of law and total submission to the extant provisions of our party constitution.

“In doing that, you don’t look at power; you look at what is just.

“I think that with time, we will reconcile all these. Amosun is my good friend; we have known each other for a very long time; we exchange personal visits in addition to official visits. Zamfara Governor has been the Chairman of NGF and I was an active member of that forum; we had a wonderful time together and I believe in the future, we are still going to have a wonderful time together. Rochas Okorocha was one of those who had issues with my predecessor and I did my best to try and resolve those issues in a way that has been giving him a new platform. And I am happy that God used us to do that not by cheating in his favour but by doing what is right.

“So, here I am as national chairman conducting primaries, the outcome of which was that some very powerful people did not see their preferred candidates emerging.”

(PUNCH)