Cracks in APC as Party Decides Oshiomhole’s Fate Tuesday

Cracks in APC as Party Decides Oshiomhole’s Fate Tuesday

POLITICS DIGEST – There is absolute confusion and apprehension in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), over the fate of its embattled National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and the controversial Nation­al Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party scheduled to hold on Tuesday in Abuja.

Whereas, there are insin­uations that President Mu­hammadu Buhari has given the go ahead for the NEC meeting, Yekini Nabena, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, said on Saturday that the conve­ner, its Deputy National Sec­retary, Chief Victor Giadom, does not have the locus standi to do so, because he is no lon­ger a member of the party’s NEC.

He said Giadom officially resigned his position in the National Working Commit­tee (NWC) to contest as run­ning mate to the party’s 2019 governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole.

Giadom, who is now the Acting National Secretary of the party had last week called for the emergency NEC meeting.

While reacting to the le­gality of the NEC meeting convened by Giadom, Nabe­na said: “I call on members of our party and the public to disregard the so called zonal caucus meeting which held on Thursday at the Edo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. The meeting was neither convened nor attended by the APC National Vice Chair­man (South South), Hilliard Eta and Leader of the party in the South-South, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo- Agege. Hence, all decisions reached at the purported meeting are a nullity and definitely does not reflect the views and stand of the Party’s South South caucus.”

Nabena noted that the members of the party can­not be taken for a ride be­cause of the political and 2023 presidential aspirations of Giadom’s sponsor and god­father who is attempting to control the party’s structure.

According to him, “It should be known that Victor Giadom tendered his resig­nation letter to the National Working Committee (NWC) to contest the 2019 election as the Party’s Deputy Gover­norship candidate in Rivers State. It is strange and an aberration that he still at­tends meetings of the NWC, occupies the office of Deputy National Secretary and con­venes a NEC meeting. In our politicking, we must not lose sight of due process and the dictates of the Party’s consti­tution.”

Travails Won’t Consume Osh­iomhole, Says Uzodinma

Also, at the weekend, Gov­ernor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State declared that the cur­rent crisis rocking the APC would not consume the em­battled national chairman, Oshiomhole.

The governor also vowed that patriotic forces in the APC would deploy every ar­senal to ensure that the plan of those plotting Oshiom­hole’s removal was foiled, adding that they would not allow Oshiomhole to be hu­miliated out of office.

Uzodinma, who fielded questions from journalists in Owerri insisted that the chairman has done nothing to warrant his removal from office, adding that there were clearly spelt out guidelines for the removal of national officers of the party which those championing Oshiom­hole’s removal want to cir­cumvent by going through the back door to obtain ex parte orders from the courts.

Uzodinma, who accused leaders of the PDP of being behind the crisis in the APC, also accused them of drop­ping the name of the presi­dency in vain.

The governor said the guidelines of the party is clear on how the national chairman can be removed from office which must be through the National Exec­utive committee (NEC) of the party, stressing that anything outside that was illegal and amounted to a witch hunt.

According to him, the plot to remove Oshiomhole is clear case of witch hunt otherwise those behind it would have come through the proper channel which is the NEC of the party, but they have refused to do so because they know they have no gen­uine case against him.

He said “Many of us, lead­ers of the party, are aware that those clamouring for the chairman’s removal are working with the PDP to de­stabilize the party but they will fail because we will not allow them to humiliate our national chairman out of office through illegal means or allow any action that will bring the party to public rid­icule.”

He stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has always made it clear that as the leader and father of the party he does not interfere with party matters.

“So I advise those drop­ping the name of the Presi­dent on their wicked plans to desist forthwith. We all believe in the rule of law and due process which is the hall­mark of this administration and therefore cannot bow to any illegality.”

The governor wondered why any true member of the APC will want to remove Os­himole who has done so well for the party at this crucial stage and time when the party ought to come togeth­er, savour its victory at the last elections and plan how to consolidate for the future.

The Imo governor ad­vised those behind the plot to remove Oshiomhole from office to stop because it is bound to fail adding, “let me make this clear, we will not allow Oshiomhole to be hu­miliated out of office. He has done nothing wrong and no amount of propaganda and illegal plots can succeed in removing him from office.”

Doubts If Buhari Will Attend NEC Meeting

It was also unclear on Saturday whether President Buhari will attend the con­troversial NEC of the APC.

When contacted, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assis­tant on Media and Publicity to the President, said he has no information on whether the President will attend or not.

“Honestly, I don’t know if the President will attend. I have no information con­cerning that at the moment” he said.

National Organising Secre­tary, Deputy Bicker

Meanwhile, Barrister Emmanuel Ibediro, National Organising Secretary (NOS) of the APC has advised those seeking to undermine his office under the cover of the raging leadership crisis rocking the party to face oth­er meaningful endeavours.

The APC chieftain from Imo State has refused to be drawn to either side of the camps battling for the soul of the party, insisting that the achievements of the APC do not justify the intractable bickering among opposing tendencies in the ruling par­ty.

Speaking to some journal­ists Saturday in Abuja on at­tempt by his deputy, Moham­med Sani Ibrahim, to usurp the office of the National Or­ganising Secretary, Ibediro dismissed the Kaduna -born politician as a meddlesome interloper, whose vaunting ambition has blinded him to wallow in ignorance.

Ibrahim had on Friday declared himself the Acting National Organising Secre­tary of the party, in place of Ibediro, citing 2018 judge­ment of FCT Federal High Court, which he claimed Oshiomhole refused to give effect to.

However, Ibediro said Ibrahim has not only lent himself to those he said are hell bent in their mission to destroy APC, but is trying to cash in on the crisis to raise his political profile, vowing that the goal is unattainable.

He said: “My attention has been drawn to a state­ment by Mohammed Sani Ibrahim, my deputy, to the effect that he’s now the Act­ing National Organizing Secretary.

“I want to tell you that there’s no love lost between us. For all I know he is also trying to cash in on the cri­sis within the party, when it is not necessary. For me I can only describe him as a meddlesome interloper which is not new to me.”

He traced Ibrahim’s am­bition to supplant him as the NOS to a judgment of the Federal High Court in favour of Senator Osita Izu­naso, a former chieftain of the party who vied for the same position with him be­fore leaving the party to join APGA in 2019.

While noting that the matter is still pending in the Court of Appeal and hence sub judice, he disclosed that Ibrahim has approached the court over the issue and lost, declaring that his ambitious deputy cannot benefit from the case since he is not a party in the suit, besides the fact that posi­tion of National Organising Secretary is zoned to South East.

“When that judgment was given at a time he came to the office and he wants to take over. And he was rightly advised by the legal adviser that this order is on appeal and that he cannot take over. After about a year he went to court at the Fed­eral High Court, Abuja and filed a case, in 2019 and we met him in court.

“And the judge ruled that he has no locus standi, that he is not a party in the main suit and definitely not a party in the appeal that the court cannot help him, and as a matter of fact the court threw away the matter. This happened about two weeks ago,” he said.

With the exit of Izunaso from APC, he pointed out that the South East caucus of the party and NEC of the zone have renewed their en­dorsement of his position as NOS, regardless the out­come of the appeal.

According to him, the lat­est move to challenge his po­sition using his deputy was because of his resolve not to take sides in the raging leadership crisis, as well as his insistence that the con­stitution should obeyed.

He maintained that despite the misgivings expressed by contending groups, the issues can still be resolved in the overall benefit of the party, add­ing that whatever the sins of the embattled national chairman, the APC consti­tution does envisage situ­ation where the national chairman of a party will be sacked by ward executive.

Perhaps those who have recruited him (Ibrahim) believe that since I have de­cided not to be part of what I consider an attempt to dis­organize the party that this is perhaps a way to bend my hands to come back.

“But it is not possible. Be­cause when I was sworn as National Organising Secre­tary after the APC conven­tion, I swore to defend the constitution of the party, APC. And under the consti­tution of the party, I might also let you know because this is the first time I’m. Speaking on this issue, “In Article 21 b,c,d, especially d, the constitution is clear on discipline of members. The article does not contemplate situation where it is free for all, where anybody can seat and remove anybody like what happened in Edo.

“I’m one of those who believe that whatever may­be the sins of the national chairman, it is not right for a ward executive to seek to remove the national chair­man of our party. It is not in our constitution.

“I believe that those who are fighting the battle, that it is a matter of time and they will come to their senses and join hands and put our party back on track. So for me I believe that everybody can still be brought togeth­er for our party to progress. This party has won election at a very critical period in the history of this country.

“This party has been able to produce a leadership without rancour in the Na­tional Assembly, this party whether we like or not has performed more than it did in 2015, so it is not an appro­priate time to fight. That is my belief.

“So if anybody feels I’m not entitled to that opinion and therefore has to go and raise innocuous fight from meddlesome interlopers to challenge my office, then they are wasting their time.”