UPN: Splinter group battles Fasheun over party’s leadership

The fight for the control of the structure of the Unity Party of Nigeria is threatening the continued existence of the party. OKUNADE ADEKUNLE reports
Like the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that are experiencing internal squabbles in their parties, so also is one of the weak opposition parties in the country, the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) having its fair share of troubles. The party is currently bedeviled with crisis over the control of the party’s structure between the national president of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Dr Frederick Fasheun and one of the top leaders of the party, Professor Bankole Okuwa.
The party’s leadership crisis which has been on before the conduct of the last general election has split the party and its members into groups and along the paths of the two warring leaders. It was revealed that the duo who had been engaged in war of words during the electioneering went to the then President Goodluck Jonathan, to endorse him as the party’s adopted candidate, a decision that was said not to have been generally agreed upon by the party.
It is important to state that after the general election, the two warring leaders and their loyalists in the party resumed their battle for the soul of the party.
However, in a statement issued by the faction led by Dr Fasheun through its deputy national publicity secretary, Hon. Adeoye Jolaosho, stated that Fasheun remains the national chairman of the party.
“By virtue of the first UPN national convention held at the Yard 158 Events Centre, Oregun, Lagos, last January 9, Dr. Frederick Faseheun, the pioneer national chairman of the party, was returned to the position,” said Jolaosho.
He said the election of Fasheun as well as other members of the national executive council (NEC) complied with Article II Section 7(2) of the party’s constitution, which stipulates that: “The National Convention shall elect the… National Officers of the party each of whom shall hold office for a maximum of four years or for such other lesser duration as the National Convention may fix but shall be eligible for re-election.”
Disowning Okuwa, the deputy national publicity secretary said: “We have never seen this pretender, the so-called Professor Okuwa, the supposed new national chairman at any UPN meeting,” he said. “He has never been registered as a member of the party, talk more of being a member of our national executive, or becoming the national chairman.”
According to the UPN deputy national publicity secretary, Prof Okuwa was a total stranger to the party, was liable to be prosecuted for impersonation and should stop parading himself as an officer of the party.
Jolaosho traced the genesis of Okuwa’s claim to the same forces that rose against the resuscitation of the UPN in 2013.
According to him, it was clear that Okuwa was another phase in the fight by those threatened by UPN’s emergence, especially in the South West.
“This is the equivalent of a civilian coup attempt, but it is a failed coup attempt. It is dead on arrival,” he said. “It is a great shame that a whole Professor should reduce himself to the position of a stooge and a puppet, to be controlled by moneybags and politicians whose sole interest is to destabilize the party.”
Jolaosho also chided Okuwa for tagging Fasheun a rascal. “It is the height of disrespect for anyone in this country to call a renowned elder statesman like Dr. Fasehun a rascal. It shows disrespect and lack of proper upbringing,” he said. “The truth is that after the likes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Moshood Abiola, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, no one can push aside Dr. Fasehun (with all his flaws) for the sacrifices he has made for the dignity of Yoruba people and for Nigeria as a whole. None of his critics can lay claim to his level of personal, economic and political sacrifice,” he said.
“This freedom fighter founded the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), and he and the group fought for the enthronement of the democracy we enjoy today in Nigeria.”
According to him, it would be the height of ingratitude to attempt to rubbish Fasheun.
“In UPN we often consider it a privilege to have such a historical figure at the helm of affairs,” he said. “He is a qualitative and dignified person who has invested his personal resources and vision to position the party as one of the leading political voices in the country.”
Furthermore, Jolaosho punctured Okuwa’s claim that INEC was present at the illegal national convention that produced him, saying it held no water.

 
“We have it on good authority that INEC was not in any way represented at the illegal programme,” he said.
He said that the national convention held in Lagos last January strictly complied with the UPN’s constitutional provisions.
In a swift reaction, the factional national chairman of the party, Okuwa stated that Fasheun should stop parading himself as the authentic national chairman of the party, adding that the party’s convention which was held in March 6 in Kaduna and supervised by the INEC produced him as the national chairman.

 
“INEC has just confirmed my election and pronounced me as the national chairman, but we have issues concerning former national chairman, Dr Fasheun who is parading himself as the national chairman while he has been removed. He is not recognised by INEC so he should stop the impersonation”, said Okuwa.
He explained further that; “I just appeal to him to respect himself. He is an elderly person. I was elected by all the 36 state chapters on March 6, which is the birthday of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and what we had to do was to wait for INEC to act on that. They sent their officials to supervise the election and they were satisfied and the report was adopted. I can tell you affirmatively that there is no division in the party.”
“Fasheun should accept the fact that he is no longer the national chairman of the UPN”, said Okuwa.
Political analysts argued that the battle between the two leaders may not really have effect on the polity but may mark the end of the existence of the party in the country. They stressed further that the two leaders and their loyalists supposed to be working out ways on how the party could add value to the political development of the South West and Nigeria in general.