The All Progressives Congress has warned that it will not spare anyone found guilty of anti-party activity in its fold.
The party said it was monitoring statements and actions of members, especially those involved in efforts that were unhelpful to its cause.
The ruling party, however, such sanction would only come after the Peace and Reconciliation Committee sent to the six geopolitical zones might have concluded their assignments.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, stated these in an interview with our correspondent on Friday in Abuja.
Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Abdul-Azeez Yari are aggrieved that their preferred governorship candidates did not get the tickets of the party.
Okorocha and Amosun have been in exchange of words with Oshiomhole over the APC’s National Working Committee’s insistence that only candidates that emerged from the recognised primaries would stand for the election.
Media reports said the son-in-law to the Imo State governor and his preferred candidate, Uche Nwosu, had picked the ticket of the Action Alliance. There were also reports that 19 state lawmakers had defected to AA.
Also in Ogun State, the preferred candidate of Amosun, Abiodun Akinlade, has joined the Allied Peoples Movement.
Issa-Onilu said, “Nobody will be treated like a sacred cow for anti-party. We are monitoring events. We are aware of certain efforts that are unhelpful to the cause of the APC especially in Imo and Ogun states.”
He said the party issued a communique on Thursday to send signals to members that anti-party activities under any guise would not be condoned.
“We needed to send signals out to members to know the party considers them as anti-party to be a member of the APC and come out public or work surreptitiously for a candidate in another party.
“The party constitution has made provision on how to address such issue in order to protect itself from the influence of members that are willing to compromise the chances of the party.”
Asked if the party planned to sanction erring members, Issa-Onilu said it was still early to say as the Peace and Reconciliation Committee would be allowed to do their job.
He said, “But it is still early in the day to say we are going to sanction such persons bearing in mind that a Peace and Reconciliation Committee made up of eminent Nigerians was raised for each of the geopolitical zones about two weeks ago.
“We are hopeful that at the end of the exercise most of these statements that are being made and actions considered inimical to the party would have been taken care of by their efforts.
“If after all that we still see any member taking any action that may compromise the party and undermine our interests, the party will review such and respond accordingly.”
Issa-Onilu said the party would instill discipline and promote party supremacy without fear or favour.
He said, “Part of the change APC has brought is equality and fairness. All members are equal and nobody will be treated like a sacred cow. You have seen that demonstrated in the primaries where the party stood its ground despite that some influential members of the party were on the wrong side of the party’s guidelines.
“The essence of all that is to consciously build a party that delivers on what is decent. A party that lives by its creed of progressive ideology, that operates by the rule of law, that provides an environment where everybody is equal before the law. The issue of social justice is paramount to the society. The party at every time will always do the right thing no matter who is involved.”
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