The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is battling to retain his seat as the roof seems to be falling over his head. The APC National Chairman, who was elected on June 23 last year, was one year in office as the henchman of the ruling party on June 26 this year.

But it is obvious that the party is gunning for change of national leadership. According to a National Executive Committee member, the rejection of Oshiomhole as a national chairman by some members was said to have caused uproar at the NEC meeting held last Friday. The NEC member said that the meeting ended abruptly as the President, Muhammadu Buhari who could not intervene in the uproar got up and left the meeting.

The member explained that the inability of those who wanted to move motion of vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole to do so at the NEC meeting made them to call a press conference, asking for Oshiomhole to resign.

Briefing the press, Hon. Lawal Liman, the chairman of the over 50 NEC members who are insisting that Oshiomhole must resign said: “Most unfortunately the facade conducted by the National Chainman, today, the 22nd of November, 2019, at a National Executive Committee meeting, leaves much to be desired. “He completely ignored Mr. President’s advice and rather defied all known rules for meetings by precluding contributions from members and ending the meeting abruptly, without achieving anything.

This is most unfortunate and undesirable. ‘ “Arising from the foregoing and having regards to the huge responsibilities bestowed on us as officers of the party and in the overriding interest of our members, we are left with no option but to demand that Comrade Adams Oshiomhoie resign his position, as National Chairman, in order to stem-the slide and provide an enabling environment for genuine healing, reconciliation and the practice of true democracy, within the Party, across the Country.”

This was not a general position of all the NEC members as some were said to be supporting Oshiomhole. The state APC chairmen and NWC -NEC that were said to be supporting Oshiomhole were alleged to have collected the money in Room 102 Bacelonia Hotel, Wuse 2. Also, the anti-Oshiomhole party members are said to have settled down at Immaculate Hotel, also in Wuse 2.

The Pro-Oshiomhole group was led by the chairman of APC Borno State and chairman of the Forum of the APC State Chairmen, Hon Ali Bukar Dalori. After the inconclusive NEC meeting they also issued a press statement in support of Oshiomhole-led APC. The statement signed by Ali Bukar Dalori and the chairman of the NWC-NEC, Nelson Alapa.

The statement reads in part, “we State Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the country and members of the Non NWC NEC members, are shocked with the statement credited to few Chairmen who called for the resignation of our National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole shortly after a successful National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of our great party. We want to state categorically that we held a very successful NEC meeting today where our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari stressed the need for party discipline and supremacy of the party.

The meaning is that our party members must subject themselves to the organs of the party particularly when they are angry with any issue so as to find solution to the problems. But we have found out that some of our colleagues have refused to subject themselves to these organs rather embarking on activities capable of destabilizing the party, which our President kicked against today.

“This statement by few of these our colleague is ill intended because if actually they have issues with the party, they would have raised it today at NEC where Mr. President and other leaders of the party were seated.

And it is not true that the meeting ended abruptly as they tried to claim, everybody who wanted to contribute was given the opportunity to air their views. As a matter of fact, after reviewing the achievements of the Oshiomhole led NWC, Mr President told Oshiomhole: “Mr National Chairman, I want to commend your energy, your kind of energy is super and I congratulate you for that”.

“We want to admonish these colleagues to listen to the words of our great President which explicitly expressed the feelings of the President towards the Oshiomhole led NWC. That was s clear Vote of Confidence on our National Chairman.”

However, a party member said the two groups are not speaking for themselves but are speaking for the leadership of the party, which also included the First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

Aisha Buhari had registered her disappointment on Oshiomhole after the Adamawa State governorship primaries that produced the former governor of the state, Mohammed Jibrila Bindow. Bindow lost to opposition Peoples Democratic party (PDP) candidate, Hon. Fintiri in the main election.

Commenting on the crisis at the NEC meeting of Friday, the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai said, “Despite the protest, it has not got to the point where the party will take action. Definitely, the National Chairman has his supporters and those against him but everybody will be giving opportunity to express themselves.”

According to the party source, one of the issues that the parley of the President, Governors and some Ministers would discuss in Jos, Plateau State would be the issue of the APC National Chairman.

The source said, “the fact that the President could not call members of NEC to order means that he has abandoned Oshiomhole to his fate.”

Another indication that Oshiomhole might not survive the onslaught is the fact that his speech at the Caucus meeting was said to be uncoordinated and uninspiring.

A Caucus member told Sunday Telegraph that the President was tied of Oshiomhole’s and registered his disappointment on the number of deaths that occured during the Kogi and Bayelsa Election Day.

Also, it was alleged that the President told the party chairman that the victory of the party in the general election was all inclusive, therefore nobody should see it as his efforts alone.

The source asserted that there might be an emergency NEC meeting very soon, where all the issues would be resolved in favour or against Oshiomhole.

(Sunday Telegraph)

Update news