TRACKING______ There was drama at the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, following an FCT High Court order suspending the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole as pro and anti-members of the National Working Committee (NWC) held parallel meetings.
The court order followed an application of interlocutory injunction filed by six plaintiffs led by he National Vice Chairman, North East, Mustapha Salihu.
They had among other things, prayed the court to oust Oshiomhole from office, alleging that he was previously suspended as a member of the party from his Etsako ward 10, in Edo State.
Few hours after the suspension order was pronounced, the embattled national chairman met with members of the NWC at his private office at Aso Drive, Abuja.
It was further gathered that while the meeting was ongoing on, the acting National Secretary, Victor Geidom and the National Vice Chairman, North East, Mustapha Salihu, convened a counter meeting at the party’s national secretariat at Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, where they were joined by the National Women Leader, Hajia Salamatu Bawai, and National Vice Chairman, North Central
Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, Gaidom assured that the party will obey all orders of the court
“As a party, we are aware of the injunction. As a law abiding party, we will respect all lawful court orders. Very soon the National Working Committee will meet and you will hear further from the party. I am trying to say that the All Progressives Congress will respect all lawful court or
Perhaps, to avoid breakdown of law and order, police deployed its men to the secretariat. Policemen in over four patrol vehicles took over the National Secretariat.
Meanwhile, the APC NWC has issued statement confirming the appointment of Arch Waziri Bulama as Ag. National Secretary, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi as Deputy National Chairman (South) and Paul Chukwuma as the National Auditor.
In a statement issued by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the ruling party noted: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC has approved the nomination of Waziri Bulama as the Party’s Acting National Secretary.
“The decision was reached on January 14, 2020 during the meeting of the NWC at the party’s National Secretariat. Following the resignation of Mai Mala Buni as the Party’s National Secretary in May 2019 prior to his election as the Governor of Yobe State, the party subsequently gave notice for a replacement from the zone.
“The NWC has also approved the nominations of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman (South) and Mr. Paul Chukwuma as the National Auditor following nominations from the respective zones,” he said
Inspite of the confusion, the national headquarters of the party was in frenzy as many of the staff celebrated wildly when the news spilled into the secretariat.
“We can’t wait to see him leave the party. He has been too insensitive to the welfare of the staff. He has tried his best and should allow another person to take over and move the party forward,” one of them said.
Similarly, some party chieftains said the suspension would bring sanity in the party.
The party National Vice Chairman, North East, Salihu Mustapha, insisted that Oshiomhole has seized to be the chairman of the party with the court ruling.
He warned that henceforth any of his directives should not be honoured and if honoured would be illegal.
But Delta State chairman of the party, Prophet Jones Erue, insisted that nobody can remzove him.
“The man remain our chairman, nobody can through the back door hijack our party.
“All these are in view of 2023, those who are interested are scheming. But I sometimes laugh at politicians who brag about.
“Let me tell you, power and life are in the hands of God, and it is He alone that will determine who takes power at any point.”
Reacting, Edo chapter of APC, spesaking through the factional chairman, Anselm Ojezua, said the suspension would provide the needed atmosphere for peace in the party in the state.
“Today is a great day for us in the party. The Abuja High Court has just asked the national Chairman of the party to step aside. I believed this will further create the atmosphere for peace in the state.This has further shown to us that no man is God.”
However, in a telephone, former general secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) expressed surprise.
“I don’t understand what is going on in this country. How can court suspend the national chairman? Were they in the convention that elected Oshiomhole as the APC chairman? That is strange to me. It is like these judges are losing it. That’s all I can say because they never elected him.”
He insisted that only the National Executive Council of the party can remove Oshiomhole from office as the national chairman of the party.
For Ezekiel Izuogu, another chieftain of the party, Oshiomhole was responsible for his fate.
On whether the court has the power to suspend a national chairman of a political party, the former National President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Malachy Ugwummadu, argued that if there was a credible cause of action within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the FCT, it could make an interim order pending the determination of the substantive suit.
