Oshiomhole Face Serious Battle From APC Governors Over Party

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole

Plots to remove the embattled Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), from office will reach a crescendo in a few weeks’ time, unless the Presidency intervenes, Saturday Tribune authoritatively reveals.

However, the South South states chairmen  of the party, have blamed the immediate past national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, for the plight of the incumbent chairman, Oshiomhole.

The chairmen passed a vote of confidence on Oshiomhole and vowed to resist any attempt to blackmail him out of office for standing against injustice which they said was the hallmark of his predecessor.

The statement was jointly signed by the six South – South APC state chairmen namely, Ini T. Okopido, Akwa Ibom State; Amos Lalabunafa, Bayelsa State; Mr. John Ochalla, Cross Rivers State.

Others were Prophet Jones Ode Erue, Delta State; Aslem U. Ojezua, Edo State and Ojukaye Flag Amachree, Rivers State.

Governors behind the move to remove Oshiomhole are belching smoke and will soon set their foot soldiers loose to start demanding for a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

A party source told Saturday Tribune in confidence that a letter released on Tuesday by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, Senator Lawan Shaibu, was part of the coordinated plot to put the perceived mismanagement of the party by the former Edo State governor on the front burner.

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The source said further that the anti-Oshiomhole forces, who have infiltrated his National Working Committee (NWC) and succeeded in winning certain aggrieved members to their camp, were actually waiting for an auspicious time to strike in a few months’ time until a recent move by the party chairman compelled them to review their plan and move swiftly.

The source disclosed that the composition of a five-man committee announced on Monday was the last straw which angered the enemy camp as it was perceived as a deft move by Oshiomhole to axe more chieftains of the party.

Checks revealed that Oshiomhole had set up the committee to “review the numerous petitions on anti-party activities of some members from the states.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Isa-Onilu, in a statement, disclosed that the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Niyi Adebayo, would lead the committee.

The statement said the setting up of the committee became necessary following “several petitions alleging various forms of anti-party activities by some members, including working against the party or our candidates in the just concluded elections.”

The committee, which has one week to submit its report, has as members,  National Vice Chairman (South-West), Mr Bankole Oluwajana; National Legal Adviser, Babatunde Ogala; National Treasurer, Adamu Fanda and National Disabled Leader, Misbau Lawal Didi.

“Coming a few months after the suspension of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Rochas Okorocha and Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, his targets were able to read between the lines and they took a counter move,” the source noted.

Further findings by Saturday Tribune showed that Senator Kabiru Marafa; the immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Abdul Aziz Yari and other protagonists in the crisis that rocked the Zamfara State chapter of the party are expected to be reprimanded by the Adebayo-led committee.

The Supreme Court, last week, in its ruling on the litigations that trailed the controversial primaries conducted by the party in Zamfara State, upheld the decision of the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal to the effect that the APC did not conduct any valid primary election and as such, had no candidates for any of the elections in the state.

The apex court consequently declared that the party with candidates with the second highest votes and spread in the various elections were the valid winners of the governorship and National Assembly and House of Assembly elections and should be issued with certificates of return.

With the emergence of Oshiomhole, loyalists of the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu and his defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) were perceived to be in firm control of the APC, leading to complaints in hushed tones by remnants of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and President Muhammadu Buhari’s defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Saturday Tribune’s checks revealed that besides the former Edo State governor, Senator Shuaibu, who wrote the letter demanding Oshiomhole’s removal, and Chief Adebayo were members of the defunct ACN.

The national secretary of the party, Malam Mai Buni, who was in the defunct ANPP, has since vacated the office, having emerged as the Yobe State governor. Stalwarts of Buhari’s CPC have since embarked on the project to install Waziri Bulama from Borno State as replacement for Malam Buni as the national secretary.

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Bulama was the Deputy Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and he is from the North-East.

But governors in the North-West led by Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai and his Zamfara State counterpart, Abdul Aziz Yari, who vacated office on Tuesday, may have succeeded in winning aggrieved Senator Ahmed Lawan to their camp.

Incidentally, Lawan is from Zamfara State and the Supreme Court judgment has since stripped the APC of the governorship ticket, three Senate seats, seven House of Representatives seats and 23 seats in the state House of Assembly.

A party source told Saturday Tribune that there is mutual distrust between Adebayo and Oshiomhole as the Tinubu camp believes the former Ekiti State governor was “donated” to the party’s national secretariat by the trio of the immediate past Ogun State governor, Senator Amosun, Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu and his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr Kayode Fayemi. There has been speculation of an el-Rufai/Fayemi presidential ticket in 2023.

Forum of state chairmen divided

Findings revealed that the Tinubu forces are banking on the forum of state chairmen of the party to stave off the plot to unseat the embattled former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

By virtue of the APC constitution (2014, as amended), the 36 state chapter chairmen and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are members of the party’s NEC and their support for the immediate past national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, sustained him in the office for a long time.

The governors have since pulled the rug off Oshiomhole’s feet, having succeeded in polarising their ranks as only a few of them from less than eight states have spoken in defence of Oshiomhole since the plot to remove him became public knowledge.

Oshiomhole holds the ace

Tinubu’s camp appears not jolted by the governors’ latest prank. A member of the camp, who spoke in confidence with Saturday Tribune, dismissed the call for Oshiomhole’s removal as a storm in a teacup.

The source argued that “the aggrieved governors reserve the right to ventilate their views but cannot bully the entire NWC to convene a NEC meeting purely for a sinister motive that is an open secret.”

There lies the power of Oshiomhole as he is the only one mandated by the party’s constitution to convene a meeting of the NEC.

Article 25 (B) (i, ii) of the party constitution reads: “The National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the national chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-third of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen (14) days notice is given for the meeting to be summoned;

“Without prejudice to Article 25(B(i) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee may summon an emergency National Executive Committee meeting at any time, provided that at least seven (7) days notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend.’’

Article 25(C) (i, ii) also empowers him to convene meetings of the NWC.

The section reads: “The National Working Committee shall meet at least once every month at the request of the national chairman;

“Without prejudice to the provision of Article 25(C) (I) the meeting of the National Working Committee may be summoned on a request made in writing by two thirds of the members of the National Working Committee at any time, provided that at least seven (7) days notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend.”