- Govs Bello, Akeredolu, el-Rufai listed as arrowheads
- Obaseki, Oyegun’s loyalists in Edo spit fire
- We’re planning one million man march against Oshiomhole – APC group
- No rancour in our party – APC spokesman
By SAMUEL FASUA, AYO ESAN, Abuja & OSEMWENGIE BEN OGBEMUDIA, BENIN
A grand plot to end the reign of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next few weeks may have thickened at the weekend, The Point has learnt.
Impeccable sources within the APC told our correspondent that some state governors and party chieftains described as “Buharists,” have recently intensified their efforts to get Oshiomhole sacked from office “soon.”
Also primed for a sack is the National Vice Chairman (South) of the party, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, a former governor of Ekiti State.
Among the several allegations leveled against them, sources in the party told The Point, are that Oshiomhole and Adebayo had turned the party to “a coven,” being solely controlled by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The source explained that party decisions were no longer taken at the meetings of the National Working Committee, which should be the highest decision-taking organ of the party.
“Instead, Oshiomhole, looking unusually stern and with Adebayo beaming with smiles beside him, would just announce decisions, saying that ‘the respected opinion leaders of the party’ had concluded upon so, and so things, and that is it,” said a top party source, who craved anonymity.
The source further alleged that in order to check the hawks within the APC leadership, Oshiomhole, who had been scared stiff in holding the NWC meeting in recent times, had, instead, taken to running between President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu, to intervene between him and his traducers.
It was also gathered that apart from the other NWC members that are distraught and are bent on removing Oshiomhole, there are collaborators from among some state governors, who include Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State; Yahaya Bello of Kogi, and Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna.
However, the Ekiti State Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, is said to have opted for neutrality, in view of the fact that he holds Adebayo, said to be his political godfather in Ekiti, in high esteem.
OSHIOMHOLE MUST GO – EDO APC STAKEHOLDERS
But more troubles appear to be on the horizon for Oshiomhole, as stakeholders in his home state of Edo have allegedly joined the current plot to oust him from the Office of the National Chairman of the ruling party.
His current squabble with his immediate successor in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, who is also his political godson, has worsened, it was learnt.
Obaseki has reportedly got an ally in the immediate past national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who is said to be rallying others to show Oshiomhole the door.
Impeccable sources alleged that these stakeholders might have secured the backing of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who is also Oshiomhole’s predecessor.
It was learnt that the stakeholders were of the view that for justice to be done regarding the loss of the APC in some states during the 2019 elections, Oshiomhole must resign his chairmanship of the party.
The Leader of a group within the APC in Edo State, Edo Coalition for Progress, Dr. Peter Ologun, disclosed to our correspondent that some APC members would soon organise a one-million-man march against Oshiomhole in Abuja to force him to step down as the helmsman of the ruling party, insisting that they “no longer have confidence in him.”
Ologun challenged Oshiomhole “to toe the path of honour,” accusing him of promoting nepotism in Edo politics and the nation at large.
He said they were determined to disown Oshiomhole as a son of the state “for leading the APC as an emperor,” a development he said cost the party its defeat in Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi and Imo states during the 2019 elections.
He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari, despite having the powers in his hands in the governance of this country, has never interfered with the affairs of Katsina State and other states, but in Edo State, the situation is the reverse.
“Even at the height of the late Tony Anenih’s reign, he never took advantage of his influence in gaining political power at both the state and national levels. But what we have seen in recent times in Edo State is a situation where Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the only one directly promoting nepotism in Edo and the national APC.
“For example, he imposed his own younger brother, Seidu Oshiomhole, on the people of Etsako West after intimidating and forcing all other contestants, who were better qualified and from other villages and clans, to step down.
“Is this the part a statesman should chart for a generation that is desirous of consolidating democratic culture?”
He added, “The imperial National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, at a time, threatened to dissolve the APC state Exco in Edo, if they failed to heed his dictates, just as he did to Zamfara APC state exco.
“Oshiomhole’s resignation will help us to rescue the party from imminent collapse.”
It was also learnt that loyalists of the former APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who might still be smarting from the unceremonious removal of Oyegun and his replacement with the current chairman of the ruling part, are backing the moves to remove Oshiomhole from office.
Oyegun’s loyalists are believed to still be aggrieved that Oshiomhole toppled their boss from the APC top job and so, the payback time has come for the ruling party’s incumbent national chairman.
One of Oyegun’s loyalists, Hon Soni Idahagbon, said Oshiomhole could not continue to have his cake and eat it, stressing that he should resign before he destroyed the party.
Idahagbon added that what the APC was enjoying today were the legacies left behind by Oyegun, and the goodwill of President Buhari.
“My brother, remove President Muhammadu Buhari away from APC now, there can be nothing like APC again, with the way Oshiomhole is running the party,” he said.
He argued that the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly wasn’t the effort of Oshiomhole, as being misunderstood, but that of President Buhari.
Idahagbon, an ally of Chief Oyegun, said he was surprised that people could be praising the current APC national chairman for the emergence of Senator Ahmed Lawal and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker, respectively.
He said, “I’m surprised people are saying Oshiomhole achieved what Oyegun could not achieve in 2015. In 2015, Oyegun explained all that was going on, but Ahmed Bola Tinubu bungled the whole issue, by insisting that the meeting must hold at the International Conference Centre. But before they knew it, Senator Bukola Saraki had hijacked the process by working with the PDP. So, Tinubu is to blame for what happened in 2015.
“Having learned from 2015, the President himself had to take charge of the process. So, why praise-singing Oshiomhole? I’m emphasising the fact that PMB personally took charge this time round; that was what made the difference.”
Speaking in the same vein, a former political adviser to Oshiomhole, Hon. Charles Idahosa, told our correspondent that Oshiomhole should be held responsible for the problems of APC in Edo State today.
“Many of these boys are his boys. But what is important for us today is the development of our people. Anybody that supports Obaseki, they are quick to say he was given money, but anybody that is for Oshiomhole, they’ll say they are doing it for charity or the Red Cross. Some of us are not disturbed at all,” he said.
OSHIOMHOLE’S LOYALISTS FIGHT BACK
But the Convener, Edo Peoples Movement, Henry Idahagbon, and an ally of Oshiomhole, said no amount of name-calling or invectives would deter his ‘genuine agitation’ of stopping Obaseki come 2020.
“Idahosa is only frustrated. Of course, Obaseki is the willing tool, who dished out the millions and suddenly, the Obaseki once described as stingy, became his godfather. Oshiomhole is too big for these people and it is sad that each time Idahosa wants to seek relevance, he sings Oshiomhole’s name so that his benefactor will see he is working,” he said.
CAFI POINTS ACCUSING FINGER AT KOGI, ONDO GOVS
Meanwhile, the National President, Change Agent Foundation International, Mr. Dipo Okeyomi, has accused both Bello and Akeredolu of being the two major arrowheads that want Oshiomhole removed as the APC chairman.
The CAFI is a pressure group in the APC and an offshoot of the Mandate Group, which worked for the failure of former governor Akinwumi Ambode in his initial efforts to seek a second term.
The Mandate Group, which has now transmuted to CAFI, is said to be fully backed by the duo of APC National Leader, Asiwaju Tinubu, and the immediate past governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Okeyomi said, “The two governors are the people mobilising fellow governors and some rebellious members of the APC NWC to see that Oshiomhole is removed. But the truth is that they will fail, and at the end of the day, they will not get the ticket of our great party to run for another term in office.”
But denying the alleged involvement of Governor Bello in the attempt to remove Oshiomhole, the Director-General, Media and Publicity for Yahaya Bello Campaign Organisation, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, said, “The governor is not in any way quarrelling with the national chairman of our party. He does not believe there is the need to replace the national chairman now.”
Speaking in the same vein, the APC Chairman in Ondo State, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, said, “Governor Akeredolu has nothing against our National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, much less plot to remove him.”
NOBODY IS CONTEMPLATING REMOVING OSHIOMHOLE – APC SPOKESMAN
Feigning ignorance of the alleged plot to remove Oshiomhole as APC national chairman, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who got very angry when our correspondent sought his reaction to the development, said, “What is wrong with your paper, what is wrong with The Point? We don’t have rancour within the Executive and we are not calling for Oshiomhole’s removal. They should name the members that are demanding Oshiomhole’s removal. What are you people turning journalism to?
“Lawan Shuaibu wrote a letter and a committee has been set up to look into it. And since then, the issue has gone underground. Who are other members of the Executive that you said are calling for Oshiomhole’s removal? There are other stories now, you people are turning journalism to another thing.”
