APC crisis: Losing election not end of your political career – Oshiomhole tells aggrieved members

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole on Monday consoled aggrieved members of the party, who lost during the party’s primary election.

He told them that losing elections was not the end of their political career, adding that they should take a cue from President Muhammadu Buhari, who lost three times before winning the presidential election in 2015.

The former Edo State Governor spoke while receiving the report of the party’s reconciliation committee for the North East from Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura in Abuja.

Stating that the National Working Committee, NWC, will study the recommendation and act on it as quickly as possible, Oshiomhole expressed confidence that the party would come out of the crisis of the primaries stronger and win the general election.

According to Oshiomhole, “Losing one nomination does not amount to the end of their political career. “Although democracy was both attractive and problematic, it remains the best form of governing a people.

“Thank you for making quality recommendations that will help us to address what has happened and talk people out of their mood and get them to rededicate themselves to the party, but also to learn one or two lesson in the future because this is not the last time we are going to conduct elections and we will be having more than one person participating, therefore, the possibility of one or more persons not winning the position they applied for.

“You are the first to submit a formal report to us and we are very grateful. I assure you that to justify the time and effort you have invested, and the time spent by the people and the confidence they have reposed in our party and your committee by appearing before you, we will study this report and NWC Will act on it as quickly as possible.

“It is quite reassuring that people recognise that there is no house where there are no grievances. What matters is whether the family has the competence to manage disagreement within the family.

“The only place where there is no disagreement is heaven and since none of us has been there, we can’t even speak to what happens there. But in the real world, people have a right to feel the way they feel. They may be right, they may be wrong, but it is all part of democracy.

“I read a lot of things in the media, some of which are not quite informed. The truth is that if you look at the issue of political parties around the world, the United Kingdom (UK) for example, the Labour Party is more prone to internal contestations than the Conservative.

“The more democratic and liberal a political party is, the more freedom that people feel that they cannot be sanctioned and so, you will have such discordant voices.

“We can learn from those voices and run a better party and a better system in the future. No matter what anybody wants to say, our party is leading by example.

“For example, we are the only party that allows people to contest election against a sitting governor. All the sitting governors of the PDP had automatic tickets and so, you are not even allowed to murmur about your governor.

“But here, in obedience to our rules, we allowed people wishing to challenge sitting governors to do so and in one case, a governor could not return.

“Democracy is an attractive wind but also problematic. But like they say, it is still the best way to run a system and a country. So, I am very confident that we are going forward; we are going to win this election. The whole essence of this reconciliation is to let people know that the fact that you lost one nomination submit the end of your political future.

“We have the best teacher in our family in person of President Buhari who contested elections three times and lost. He almost gave up, hotness encouraged not to give up. He went for the fourth time and won. He has thought is that this process is only for long distance runners and not a 100 meters dash.

“Secondly, if our primary purpose for seeking nomination and getting elected is to serve the people, and improve on the quality of life, then even if 20 of us file out to contest election as governor, we know ab-initio that only one person will be elected even if all 20 are angels.

“But if democracy is working and working well, that one person that emerged will govern in such a way that will add value to the quality of life of every citizen because the main objective is to improve the quality of life of the people.

“At the end of the day, the deliverable is what will change as a result of my membership of the APC. I am excited that you said people have not decamped and have confidence in the leadership of the party.”