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Tag: Oshiomhole

  • Anti-graft agency to probe petitions against Oshiomhole

    THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) will  thoroughly investigate petitions accusing  All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole of corruption

    ICPC spokesperson Rasheedat Okoduwa, who stated this while receiving a petition from a group of protesters on the platform of Coalition of New Nigeria (CNN), assured that the petition would be treated the same manner it handled others.

    She said: “I have heard you and we thank you people for the peaceful protest here. You have done what you are supposed to do. I want to assure you that your petition will be treated according to its merit and the same manner we treat others.”

    Convener of the group, Stanley Ohu, who led the protesters, demanded the immediate prosecution of the APC National Chairman.

    The protesters, under the auspices of Coalition for New Nigeria (CNN), had arrived the ICPC office with posters bearing various inscriptions like “Oshiomhole is corrupt”, “Oshiomhole must go”, “With Oshiomhole, APC will fail”, “ICPC must probe Oshiomhole”, “Buhari, remove Oshiomhole now before it is too late”, among others.

    They pleaded with the agency to expedite action in the prosecution of the ruling party boss.

    Ohu said: “We are determined in our quest to arrest the danger faced by our party, the governing APC, occasioned by the integrity-challenged National Chairman, Oshiomhole. As you are all aware, our party, the APC is in serious crisis following the most reprehensible, divisive and widely condemned primaries across the states.

    “The APC, which was gaining grounds and welcoming new members is far from the all-embracing party it was when Oshiomhole took over as National Chairman.

    “Given the various allegations of corruption by respected chieftains and members of the APC, we are here calling on the various anti-corruption agencies to begin a comprehensive probe of not only these allegations, but his time as the Edo State governor.”

    He added: “For the avoidance of doubt, we are well aware that Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence criminal proceedings against Oshiomhole for allegedly diverting state funds into personal use.

  • Obaseki backs Oshiomhole against Amosun, Okorocha

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki spoke yesterday on All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole’s quarrel with some governors.

    He said some governors were opposed to Oshiomhole because of the change the chairman was introducing to the party.

    “What Oshiomhole is doing is to institute a regime of change where nobody is above the law,” he said.

    Obaseki, who spoke  in Benin City at the Church of God Mission during a thanksgiving service to mark his second year in office, did not name any governor, but Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha have been locked in a bitter row with Oshiomhole over the party’s primaries.

    Many Nigerians under the Buhari-led administration are now afraid to commit crimes because of the repercussion, Obaseki said.

    The governor said Nigerians would soon begin to feel the impact of “the fundamental changes” President Buhari was making.

    “Some of the fundamental changes started by Buhari/ Osinbajo will manifest shortly. For the first time people are now afraid to do wrong,” he said.

    Speaking on his style, Obaseki said intaed of dashing people money he would rather invest massively in infrastructure. The governor said he would also support people to grow their businesses.

    He said his administration had commenced the training of 4,000 youths to boost security in the state, adding that a new security architecture would soon be unveiled.

    He said: “One key element is that whatever we do must affect the people. We are stretching our limited resources to work for the people. We will spend money to work for the people.”

    Oshiomhole has been at loggerheads with  Okorocha, who is pushing for his son in-law to be the party’s governorship candidate.

    Amosun is also not pleased that his candidate for the party’s ticket did not get the prize.

    Oshiomhole said he would not help Okorocha to build a political dynasty. He pdescribed Amosun as an “emperor” for initially choosing candidates for various offices in disrespect to the primaries supervised by the National Working Committee (NWC).

    Oshiomhole, also yesterday, denied meeting with party stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in London

    There were reports at the weekend that the chairman met with Tinubu in Europe over his (Oshiomhole’s) interaction with the Department of State Services (DSS).

    But speaking with reporters in Benin City after attending the interdenominational service to mark Governor Godwin Obaseki’s second year in office, Oshiomhole said there was no reason for him to go to London to see Tinubu when he could easily see him in Lagos.

    He said he had unhindered access to Aso Villa to see President Mohammadu Buhari.

    The chairman said:  ”What am I doing in London? Why will I go to London to see Tinubu when I can see him in Bourdilon (Ikoyi, Lagos)?

    “What are the issues between him and me that we are to resolve in London? The leader of the party, President Buhari, I have access to at the Villa all the time. I don’t need to go to London to see my leader through the Queen.

    “The truth is that once a news reporter succeeds in preaching one lie, he is obliged to preach several lies to sustain the one lie.  Some of the media, having allowed opposition to misuse them to fake news, they now feel obliged to faking more news but I am here and I am fine.”

    Speaking about the grievances of some aspirants, Comrade Oshiomhole urged them to learn from President Buhari who contested for President three times without losing hope.

    He said it was impossible for all contestants to win at the primaries

  • Why some governors are against Oshiomhole – Obaseki

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Sunday declared that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress were against his predecessor and National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole because of the change being it introduced to the party.

    Governor Obaseki stated that Oshiomhole is trying to instill a regime of change where nobody is above the law.

    Obaseki who spoke  in Benin City at the Church of God Mission during a thanksgiving service to mark his second year in office said many Nigerians under the Buhari led administration are now afraid to commit crimes because they know there would be repercussion

    The Edo Governor said Nigerians would soon begin to feel the impact of what he termed fundamental changes President Buhari is making.

    Explaining why he does not give money to people anyhow, Governor Obaseki said he would rather invest massively on infrastructure than give money to people who make any impact.

    Governor Obaseki said he would also support people to grow their businesses or ideas instead of dashing money out.

    He said his administration has commenced the training of 4000 youths to boost security in the state adding that a new security architecture would soon be unveiled.

    He said, “One key element is that whatever we do must affect the people. We are stressing our limited resources to work for the people. We will spend money to work for the people.

    “ Some of the fundamental changes started by Buhari/ Osibanjo will manifest shortly. For the first time people are now afraid to do wrong.  What Oshiomhole is doing is to institute a regime of change where nobody is above the law.”

    Speaking earlier, Bishop Margaret Idahosa who described Obaseki as ‘talk na do’ governor said he has changed the state within two years in office.

    “Looking at what is going on in the state where allocation is little but Obaseki is making a big difference.”

    Edo State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Bishop Oyonude Kure, urged Obaseki to tackle insecurity and fixed roads in the state.

    He recommended that private school teachers should be trained in the Edo BEST Programme so that pupils in private schools would at par with those in public schools.

  • Primaries: Governor offered Oshiomhole $500,000 bribe in cash

    Fresh details yesterday indicated that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole became a target after refusing $500,000 bribe cash from a governor.

    The governor wanted the APC chairman to adopt his anointed governorship candidate.

    But Oshiomhole insisted on applying the guidelines of the party for primaries.

    Also, there were indications that the APC leadership tried its best to strike a fair deal with Governor Rochas Okorocha on a 55-45 per cent basis.

    The Imo governor however opted for 100 per cent concession which was unacceptable to APC.

    Findings by our correspondent revealed that contrary to allegations, the refusal of Oshiomhole to collect bribes from godfathers and candidates accounted for the plot against him.

    It was gathered that many godfathers and governorship candidates were desperate for tickets but Oshiomhole stood his ground that he will not compromise party guidelines.

    A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “At a stage, a governor became agitated and offered Oshiomhole about $500,000 to make sure that his candidate got a governorship ticket.

    “The bribe sum was later hauled in cash to Oshiomhole’s office by one of the emissaries of the affected governors. But the APC chairman rejected the bribery.

    “What the APC chairman did was to brief some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on what transpired. He also intimidated some leaders of the party too. The party adhered strictly to its guidelines and the governor’s candidate lost out.

    “The governor later turned out to have joined forces in the plot to remove Oshiomhole to teach the APC chairman a lesson. It was surprising to see the governor coordinating nocturnal meetings to sack Oshiomhole.

    “The facts and witnesses are there. In the fullness of time, the name of the governor will be released. Maybe when he does not have immunity again, he will pay the price.”

    As at press time, it was learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to stay away from party affairs and issues.

    Also, the President has appealed to those aggrieved among APC governors to sheathe the swords.

    A government source said: “The President has waded in the crisis of confidence between the governors and APC national chairman. We expect peace to return to the party. There might also be some reconciliation within the substitution window allowed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    “The President has however ordered DSS to avoid dabbling in party affairs. He said if there are petitions about any infraction, they should be sent to appropriate agencies. Buhari was worried that the same challenge which the DSS faced on the arrest of judges had re-occurred.”

    Meanwhile, there were indications that the APC leadership did its best to offer a fair deal to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State on the party’s candidates for 2019 poll in the state.

    A reliable source said: “Okorocha is respected and loved by most of our leaders but we discovered that he cannot get all he wanted in 2019.

    “APC leaders met the governor and it was agreed that as the APC leader in the state, he should go back and do justice.

    “We offered him a fair deal. We said he should take 55% of the available seats and concede 45% of elective offices to others in the state. He accepted the deal but he returned to Imo to take 100% control of everything.

    “At this point, we have no choice than to leave his fate to APC members to decide. This was why he lost out.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “If Okorocha was keen on his son-in-law as APC governorship candidate, there is nothing bad if he abandons his senatorial ambition.

    “What made matter worse was when APC got intelligence report that the proposed running mate to his son-in-law as APC governorship aspirant has been found to be dating another girl in the governor’s family.

    “This was why Oshiomhole came out to say he was not elected APC National Chairman to preserve any dynasty. We conceded a lot to Okorocha but he wanted wholesale party machinery in his care to do what he likes.

    “If you look at the structure in the state, it is disproportional. Okorocha is the governor, his former Personal Assistant is the Deputy Governor, his son-in-law was a former commissioner and aspiring governorship candidate; his sister is the Deputy Chief of Staff/ Commissioner; the governor has also secured a senatorial ticket and he has given tickets to many loyalists.

    “If he defects to any party, none can tolerate such indulgence because it is a mockery of democracy.”

    As at press time, it was learnt that APC may still retain the current deputy governor, Eze Madumere as running mate to its governorship candidate, Chief Hope Uzodinma.

    “We may give deputy governorship slot to Madumere again,” a top party source added.

  • My encounter with DSS, by Oshiomhole

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday, confirmed reports that he was interviewed by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) aka State Security Service (SSS) last Sunday, over corruption allegations arising from the recently concluded primaries in the ruling party.

    But he downplayed suggestions that he was “arrested” saying “it was an interaction and not interrogation. I drove there in my car and returned in my car. The conversation centered around APC primaries. The question now is whether or not it is the DSS job to interfere in a political party’s issues. And if there’s an allegation of corruption, it is the responsibility of EFCC and ICPC.”

    He dismissed calls by the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for his arrest, and for the president not to shield him, as ridiculous. He said if the tables were turned and it had been PDP Chairman Uche Secondus who had been invited by the DSS, petitions would have been tabled before the UN by now.

    The Nation had reported yesterday that Oshiomhole was held hostage at the DSS at the behest of some governors and other forces within the party, and that the officers demanded that he resign as APC national chairman on account of the allegations of malpractices made against him.

    He, however, stood his ground and rebuffed all pressure mounted on him to step down – insisting he committed no crime.

    Speaking yesterday with media executives in Lagos, Oshiomhole stated that it was inconceivable for DSS officers to have made such a demand of him.

    “It is inconceivable that Department of State Services’ officials or directors will ask the chairman of a political party whether of the right or of the left, whether of the opposition or of the governing party to resign, because the party has its own structure,” he said. “If I were to resign, will I be addressing the letter to the director? Or will I be addressing the letter to someone through the director?”

    He equally denied reports that following last Sunday’s visit to the security agency, he returned there again during the week.

    Concerning the grievances of Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha, whose preferred aspirants lost out in the primaries’ process, the APC chairman said there was nothing personal to his disagreement with governors. He acknowledged the support of Okorocha who he said was present at his declaration and gave him very vocal backing thereafter. But he would not let friendship get in the way of the enforcement of the party’s guidelines.

    He further said he was very close friends with Amosun, but said the governor’s case was fundamentally flawed by the fact that his preferred candidate didn’t take part in the primaries conducted by the supervisory panel set up by the National Working Committee (NWC).

    Oshiomhole pointed out that unlike Amosun’s favoured aspirant Adekunle Akinlade, the governor subjected himself to the National Assembly primaries organised by the official panel from the APC headquarters and won. Consequently, his name has been forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as one of the party’s three senatorial candidates in Ogun State.

    With regards to the situation in Zamfara State where INEC has refused to accept the party’s nominee for the governorship election, on the grounds that APC failed to conduct its primaries before the deadline day, he restated his belief that the courts would prevail on the electoral body to accept that name of the ruling party’s candidate. He said there was ample evidence to show that the primaries process was concluded before the window slammed shut.

    Reacting to reports that the party had been weakened in Ogun and Imo because of the disputes over the governorship ticket, Oshiomhole claims that the reverse was the case. “We are much stronger now. There are people who wouldn’t have voted for us if we had allowed some of the governors to foist their preferred choices on the party,” he said.

    He said the possibility that some of those who lost out could move to other platforms to run, could not be ruled out as people are always defecting from one side to another. Still he insists that many would still vote for the APC because of their attraction to the character and integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Despite the bitter public exchanges with prominent party members in recent times, Oshiomhole says the process of reconciliation is ongoing. He expects the party’s eventual candidates in contentious states like Ogun, Imo and Zamfara, to reach out and win the backing and confidence of their state governors.

    He further stated that as part of the reconciliation process, some of the aggrieved who lost out during the primaries, could be given opportunities to serve in the Federal Government controlled by the APC.

  • Oshiomhole: Untold story of how DSS held him hostage for eight hours

    •Six governors implicated in plot •Adamant APC chair arrives

    For eight hours last Sunday, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was held hostage at the Department of State Security Service (DSS) at the behest of some governors and some forces in the party to force him to resign.

    Oshiomhole, however, stood his ground and rebuffed the pressure mounted on him to resign.

    He told the DSS that he committed no crime and would therefore not resign, no matter the intimidation.

    Although the APC chairman was caught unawares, he maintained his stand even when DSS officials tried to invoke the name of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He pointedly told them that the President was in the know of all that happened during the APC primaries and that it was their collective resolve not to allow imposition of candidates by anybody, no matter his status in the party.

    It later turned out that some security operatives had plotted Oshiomhole’s resignation with about six APC governors.

    The plot to lay ambush for him was hatched by the affected governors in connivance with some powerful forces who were aggrieved over the outcome of the recent primaries of the APC.

    The governors are from Southwest, Northcentral, Southeast and Northwest.

    Four of them are angry with the party for not allowing them to impose their favourites as the party’s candidates in their states.

    One Southwest governor is in sympathy with a fellow Southwest governor for standing by him recently when it mattered most.

    The Northcentral governor is up in arms with Oshiomhole for insisting on direct primary.

    There were insinuations that some former APC elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gave tacit backing to the plot by the APC governors in order to render the party weak ahead of the presidential campaign beginning from November 18.

    It was gathered that the plotters knew that the APC national chairman was due for a private visit abroad, hence they opted to seal his fate before the trip.

    The President was said to have been kept in the dark till the coup was hatched.

    The plan was to hoodwink Buhari and present him with Oshiomhole’s resignation letter to prevent any intervention.

    A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Some of the governors behind the ambush had relocated to Abuja ahead of the invitation of Oshiomhole by the DSS. I

    “In fact, one of them told a member of the Election Committee in his state to expect a major news on Sunday. He was quoted to have said ‘by Sunday, Oshiomhole is gone and all of you will be put to shame.’

    “They opted for forcible removal of Oshiomhole to take advantage of the substitution window for candidates.

    “The two options considered against Oshiomhole were either to get the DSS to arrest or invite him.

    “Some of the governors actually felt that arresting him on spurious charges of fraud would make greater news and prevent Buhari from intervening like he did in the case with some judges.

    “Unknown to the plotters, the APC national chairman had travelled to lyamho, his village in Edo State, to spend the weekend before jetting out to meet with his family abroad on Tuesday.

    “The trip to Edo frustrated the first leg of the plot as it was too late for the DSS operatives involved in the plot to stop him from traveling to Edo State.”

    Another source gave insight into how Oshiomhole received DSS invitation and why he reported to the agency on Sunday.

    The second source said: “Last Saturday, a call was put to Oshiomhole by a DSS operative in Iyamho with an urgent tone that he should report at the DSS headquarters. But the APC chairman was not moved because he did not commit any crime.

    “On Sunday, he returned to Abuja and honoured DSS invitation where he was told about a petition against him bothering on fraudulent activities.

    “For about eight hours, it was a ding dong affair between the DSS interrogators and Oshiomhole over a demand for his resignation letter.

    “Being an intelligent leader, Oshiomhole pointedly asked for a copy of the petition against him for his response, because he knew he did not engage in any fraud.

    “No petition was presented to him. He rebuffed all attempts to force him to resign.

    “While the drama was going on, the governors behind the set up were using some proxies to monitor Oshiomhole’s engagement with the DSS.

    “The Northcentral governor was said to be in his house in Abuja with an official of the party from a state also in the North who they had hoped to appoint as acting chairman.

    “The governor’s impunity in his state was condoned by the party before Oshiomhole took over but now, the governor is being asked to do things in accordance with the APC constitution.

    “He is also not happy that Oshiomhole is insisting on direct primaries.

    “His fear is that when his election is due later in 2019, direct primary will not favour him. He was one of the governors who told the public that the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) opted for indirect primaries some months back as against direct primary which was the preferred option.”

    After being adamant for many hours, Oshiomhole was let off the hook by the DSS.

    He insisted that he would not resign without hearing from the President and they could not provide any evidence that the President knew about their action.

    On how he left DSS custody, the source said: “In fact, a governor of the APC came to pick him. There was no issue of surety at all.

    “It was uncertain if the governor was just being benevolent or was one of the plotters.

    “The governors who were in Abuja had already put a media plan in place to force the NWC to issue a statement that Oshiomhole has resigned.

    “The governors later realised that the plot had failed as soon as Oshiomhole survived the siege in DSS headquarters.

    “Curiously, some forces in PDP were also in a hotel trying to know the outcome of the unfolding drama in APC, having been told of the plot by their collaborating governors.

    Findings, however, confirmed that the President was not aware of either his invitation or the demand for his resignation.

    A presidency source added: “The President was shocked and angry when Oshiomhole met with him on Monday on his ordeal. He promised to look into the incident.

    “What the aggrieved governors did not know is that the APC chairman was always briefing the President on the challenges facing the party in some states. So, the President and Oshiomhole are always on the same page.

    “There was a time one of the governors went to meet with the President and raised some issues. After the governor’s narration, the President made a call and gave the phone to the governor, saying: ‘The chairman on the line. Speak with him.’

    “The affected governor was speechless and left the Presidential Villa in shame.”

    Buoyed by the backing of the President, Oshiomhole left the country on Tuesday to meet his family.

    A party source said: “He had already scheduled his personal trip. He was undaunted. He is not on exile. He has not committed any fraud.”

    It was gathered the APC national chairman returned to the country yesterday.

     

  • Wrongful disqualification  Oshiomhole apologises to ex-Kwara APC governorship aspirant

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has apologized to a former governorship aspirant of the party in Kwara State, Hon. Moshood Mustapha, for his wrongful disqualification.

    He said it was regretful that Mustapha’s disqualification was “erroneously announced by an unknown source when voting was midway during the governorship primary election”.

    Oshiomhole’s apology was contained in an October 30 letter to the ex-member of the House of Representatives.

    The letter said: “Compliments of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). I write to formally apologize for the disinformation arising from an unauthorized announcement of your disqualification during the recent direct primary election conducted for the party’s governorship aspirants in Kwara State.

    “Although you were cleared by the National Working Committee (NWC)-appointed screening panel as a governorship aspirant to contest the direct primary election, your disqualification was erroneously announced by an unknown source when voting was midway.

    “The incident at the governorship primary election and the subsequent embarrassing mischief directed at your esteemed person by the faceless individual in the name of the party is deeply regretted.

    “The party regards you as an outstanding and loyal stakeholder and leader as we continue to unify and strengthen the party, particularly in Kwara State.

    “ I trust that this unfortunate incident will not in any way weaken your resolve to contribute and sustain your valuable support in the shared commitment and determination to collectively work with others to enthrone new political order in Kwara State 2019 general elections.

    “Accept as usual, the assurances of the party’s warmest regards.”

  • I’m not behind Oshiomhole’s alleged detention – Amosun

    Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State has dismissed rumours that he and Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo are behind the alleged detention and grilling of All Progressives Congress(APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole.

    Oshiomhole was reportedly detained and questioned on Nov. 4 by the Department of State Services (DSS) over the fallout of the APC primaries.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Amosun said he did not have such capacity.

    “I think you are giving me an oversight role.

    “I am not a security person; so, clearly, that question will probably not be for me.

    “I don’t hide under a finger and fight; if there is need for me to put my views across, you know by now, I will do it.”

    The governor, who sounded evasive, said that all that needed to be said about the APC crisis had been said; hence no need to sound like `a broken gammaphone’.

    He said it was not true that he was having problem with the leadership of the party.

    It would be realled that three APC governors — Okorocha, Amosun and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara have been at loggerheads with Oshiomhole over the outcome of the party’s primaries.(NAN)

  • Oshiomhole, Amosun, Okorocha war of words escalates

    • Okorocha offered me $2m bribe, says Gulak
    • Okorocha: He has no character
    • ‘Lies will fail APC in Ogun’, says Amosun

    The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries election committe in Imo State, Ahmed Gulak, alleged yesterday that Governor Rochas Okorocha offered him a $2million bribe for the purpose of returning Uche Nwosu, son in law to the governor, as winner of the primaries.

    Gulak, a former political adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, said in Abuja that he turned down the offer.

    The party has since forwarded the name of Senator Hope Uzodinma as its governorship candidate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),leaving Nwosu fuming with anger yesterday.

    Nwosu wondered why APC national chair, Adams Oshiomhole, frustrated his governorship ambition after making his own son a member of the Edo State House of Assembly.

    Okorocha, meanwhile, fired back at Gulak yesterday on the bribe allegation, dismissing it as an afterthought, while Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, whom Oshiomhole accused of running the APC in his state as an emperor, said yesterday that the APC chair “lacks respect for truth and decency.”

    Gulak who had alleged that he was kidnapped on his arrival for the primary in Imo State also claimed that officials of the state government offered to convey him and his team to Owerri from Abuja in  a private jet, an offer he claimed to have rejected because he did not want to be compromised.

    He told reporters in Abuja that Okorocha’s plan was to turn the state into a family estate with his son in law as governor, his (Okorocha’s) son as deputy governor, his wife as a member of the House of Representatives and himself as a senator without considering the fact that it is the people of the state that will be the ultimate decider.

    According to him, “The NWC approved our appointment, myself as the chairman and returning officer and six other members including the secretary making us seven as enshrined in the guideline. We went to Imo against all odds. We stood our ground, elections held, results collated and the winner announced.

    “After the collation, I and few others escaped because the governor himself came to arrest everybody in the hotel. But before he arrived, about four of us escaped and he arrested other members including the secretary.

    “He took them to Government House and they read a prepared speech declaring his son in-law the winner of that exercise. But I had already left Owerri for Abuja where I submitted my result.

    “As I speak today, there is no single petition against our report and against the result.

    “Let us not forget that Rochas’ in-law was not the only aspirant. Hope Uzodinma was not the only aspirant.

    “There were other seven aspirants including the Deputy Governor. From the nine of them, there is no single petition against the conduct of the election.

    “If there were grievances against the conduct of that election, the party has an appeal panel where petitions ought to have been lodged. The Appeal Panel will then recommend whether or not a fresh primary will be conducted. That did not happen.

    “As we speak, in accordance with the constitution and the guidelines, the result submitted by my committee, signed by me, is the authentic unchallenged report and the NWC had no option but to uphold that report.

    “I feel vindicated, the members of my committee feel vindicated.

    “The issue of Governor Rochas going round blackmailing the party, threatening the party, is not the best for a governor.

    “He is supposed to be a statesman. This is his party.

    “I understand very well that he is the senatorial candidate of his party in Orlu, so he should not weaken the party from within. He should call everybody; all hands must be on the deck to ensure that the party retains the state.”

    Gulak said that although there is nothing wrong in the governor wanting his son in-law to be governor, his lack of consultation with critical stakeholders in the state and his attempt to transform the state into a family dynasty, is an insult on the people.

    He said: “I know that whoever Governor Rochas wants to push forward, decency demands that he should do so in consultation with the stakeholders of that state. Even if he wants to put his son in-law, his daughter or his wife, he ought to have consulted the stakeholders.

    “No one man can do this game of politics. Everybody must be carried along. But I feel he did not consult the stakeholders before pushing his son in-law as the person to succeed him.

    “Naturally, people will revolt and if he had his way and imposed his son in-law on the party, what of the general election, can he impose him?

    “At the end of the day, the people of Imo State will decide who they will vote as governor and don’t forget it is not a one party system. I know that if you impose your son in-law as successor don’t forget that it is the Imo people who will decide who the governor will be.

    “I have it on good authority that immediately they learnt that the NWC had upheld the result of the Imo primaries, the other candidates subsumed their ambition in the interest of Imo state to support Hope Uzodinma.

    “As party men, we should all be happy about that too. That is politics without selfishness.

    “Rochas has spent eight years as governor of Imo state, and you want your son in-law to succeed you, you want to come to the senate as a senator, you want your wife to be a House of Reps member, you want your younger brother to be running mate, you want your son in-law to be governor.

    “That in itself is indecent, it is immoral and the people of Imo state may not take it likely.

    “They are not slaves; you cannot enslave them by making it a personal family dynasty. This is a well-educated state, well enlightened state where we have professors in almost every family.

    “We have businessmen, industrialists. These people have a stake in Imo state. So I know they will not lie low when Rochas begin to enslave them.

    “He has gone on air every day to abuse and malign me and I have decided to keep calm because it is an internal family matter. Abusing me every day on television and in newspapers will not help him. He should go and work for the victory of his party and leave me alone.”

    Speaking in his experience in Imo, he said “even before I went to Imo State, I was offered a private jet to take me there by the Government House and their proxies, but I refused because I didn’t want to be compromised.

    “I refused the private jet and even the tempting offer made to me, very tempting. We are talking about two million dollars here, which I refused and tried to persuade them that I was going to do what was needful: free and fair primaries and that every stakeholder must be involved.

    “Immediately we landed at the airport; that was where the problem started. They wanted to kidnap every member and only God knows where they wanted to take us to.

    “I pity the Imo people, but they have to take their destiny in their own hands and elect who they feel will represent them better. I am not from Imo State, but I am a Nigerian. There is equality and there is equity. Some of our governors take state resources as their personal resources and we know that power is transient; after four or eight years. I am happy that the party has vindicated me and I know it is the best decision for the people of Imo State.”

     

    Gulak has no character, says Okorocha

    Contacted for reaction to the Gulak allegations, Okorocha speaking through his Chief Press Secretary Sam Onwuemedo, said it was all an afterthought.

    He branded Gulak a man without character, saying the same man had earlier claimed he absconded   from Imo State for fear of being kidnapped.

    He said: “Gulak is a corrupt politician who does not have character. At first his claim was that he ran away to escape being kidnapped and it took him more than four weeks to remember that the governor gave him prepared result sheets to sign and $2million bribe. It is simply laughable”.

     

    Nwosu: Oshiomhole frustrating my ambition yet he made son lawmaker in Edo

    Okorocha’s son in law, Uche Nwosu, was also angry with Oshiomhole, saying the APC chair was frustrating his governorship aspiration yet he made his own son a member of the Edo State House of Assembly.

    Nwosu alleged that Oshiomhole was opposed to his governorship bid because his father-in-law picked the senatorial ticket of Imo west.

    He said: “We are disappointed over Oshiomhole’s action. His statements and antics did not give hope to young people who hitherto had always looked up to him.

    “He is saying that Okorocha’s senatorial ambition scuttled my governorship bid. After all Oshiomhole’s son is a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, who he nominated and he is the chairman of the party.

    “He is a man that is supposed to speak rightly and not deceive the people on air. I saw him on television when he was talking from both sides of his mouth. It is a pity that APC could have such a man as its national chairman.”

    Nwosu insisted that he remains the authentic candidate of the party, saying his candidacy cannot be truncated by the national chairman or any other person.

    “My mandate is still intact, I still remain the candidate of the APC, I am very much shocked with the national chairman who is speaking from the both sides of his mouth as a man of that age I thought he would have been upright,” he said.

    “I am shocked that a man who has attained that age and who we should look up to as our role model has become somebody who many of us can no longer see as a role model again. I am shocked at the attitude of the national chairman which does not give hope to young people that mostly look up to him for years.

    “I will not leave APC; I still remain the authentic candidate of that party. I still have a valid court order restraining the party from submitting any other name and also restraining INEC from accepting any other name other than my name and the matter is in court.

    “So if they go anywhere and get another court order without knowing that there is a subsisting court order, then that must have been done in error.

    “So the fact remains that I am the candidate of APC, it is just for a while and I will take up my mandate, I don’t have in mind to leave the mandate I already have for another party. My candidacy is secured and cannot be truncated by the national chairman or any other person.”

     

    Oshiomhole and his collaborators will fail in Ogun, Amosun charges back

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State also reacted angrily  yesterday  to the Friday comments by  Oshiomhole in which he said the governor was running the affairs of APC in his state as an emperor.

    Amosun, in a statement by Information Commissioner Adedayo  Adeneye, said  Oshiomhole  “lacks respect for truth and decency.”

    The governor alleged plot to hand the state over to what he called a gang of rapacious expansionists in the Southwest.

    He said the plot would fail.

    Adeneye, in the statement, restated “the contention of the APC leadership in Ogun State that the only gubernatorial primary held in the State was that of October 02, 2018 which produced Adekunle Akinlade as winner.”

    He added: “the emergence of Akinlade was initially through a consensus arrangement as allowed by the party constitution but was nevertheless subjected to a primary election when some gubernatorial aspirants disagreed with the outcome of the consensus arrangement.

    “This is, however, without prejudice to the sanctity of the consensus arrangement which Adams Oshiomhole hypocritically tries to demonise.

    “Nigerians will recall that Oshiomhole himself was elected National Chairman of the APC by consensus arrangement which witnessed all other contestants to the office being prevailed upon to step down for him (Oshiomhole).

    “The ground on which Oshiomhole disputes the gubernatorial primary in Ogun State is that the result was not announced by the State Electoral Committee from Abuja, therefore the governor resorted to self-help.

    “We wonder why Oshiomhole accepted the result of the primary election in Lagos State whose result was also not announced by the State Electoral Panel. Why will the same scenario be acceptable in Lagos State but regarded as self-help in Ogun State?

    “We wish to call the attention of Nigerians to another evil being perpetrated by Oshiomhole in Ogun State.

    “As at today November 3, which is 24 hours after the deadline for submission of names of candidates for the House of Assembly, Oshiomhole has not given INEC Party Candidate Form (CF001) to any of the 26 candidates who won the primaries for the ticket to contest for the Ogun State House of Assembly.

    “The primary was conducted on October 7 by the State Electoral Committee headed by Col. Ali Ciroma. This is despite the fact that the State Chairman of the party had kept vigil at the national secretariat of the APC in the last two weeks to collect the forms.

    “If Oshiomhole is denying the outcome of the gubernatorial primaries because the State Electoral Committee shied away from announcing the result, what is the reason for denying all the 26 candidates for the House of Assembly freely elected by members of the APC in Ogun State?

    “We want Nigerians to note the duplicity and meddlesomeness of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and his gang in the affairs of the APC in Ogun State.

    “It is also important to note that Oshiomhole unilaterally replaced four of the nine winners of the primary election into the House of Representatives.

    “This includes Mikhail Kazzim, a serving member of the House who won the primaries by defeating Olumide, the son of Chief Olusegun Osoba, with 28,802 votes to Osoba’s 4,209. Oshiomhole removed Kazzim who won the primaries and replaced him with the man he had serially defeated, not only in the last primary election but also in the general election of 2015.

    “In yet another instance in Ado Odo – Ota Federal Constituency, Oshiomhole substituted the winner of the primary for the House of Representatives, Rotimi Rahmon with the name of Jimoh Ojugbele, who did not even contest to go back to the House of Representatives but contested the primary for the Senate and was defeated.

    “In his conduct, Oshiomhole is opening a new chapter in the history of elections in Nigeria- a situation where a gang of desperate politicians will sit somewhere in another state and write the result of an election that never took place; what our people creatively refer to as “Offshore Rigging”!.

    “This is what Oshiomhole and his gang are trying to foist on Ogun State. Lawyers say “you cannot build something on nothing”. Oshiomhole and his gang are trying to build a storey building of fraud on nothing.”

    The governor also dismissed the claims of Oshiomhole that he withdrew the security of the State Electoral Committee, saying Indabawa, Chairman of the panel and a retired Commissioner of Police came into Ogun State with a full complement of police team which he claimed was provided for him by a Deputy Inspector General of Police.

    He added: “How could Amosun have withdrawn policemen he did not assign or over whom he had no control?

    “All of these have clearly shown that the motive of Oshiomhole is not the rule of law which he proclaims on the roof top. It is rather, an evil plan with some collaborators, desperate to hijack the government of Ogun State and add it to the harem of states under their rapacious gang of exploiters.

    “As we have stated before, this evil design will not succeed in Ogun State. Our people are too educated, exposed and sophisticated to come under such odious arrangement. On a general note, Oshiomhole, who became the APC Chairman barely three months ago, is already threatening to write the epitaph of the party in his 100 days of ignominy.

    Governor Amosun concludes the statement with an advice for Oshiomhole: “To Oshiomhole and his motley crew of co-travellers in ignominy, be assured that the music has just begun and we hope that you will enjoy the macabre dance to the music of justice.”

    “By the Grace of God and the support of the good people of Ogun State, Adekunle Abdulkadir Akinlade will be sworn in as the new governor of Ogun State on May 29, 2019.”

                  

     

     

  • Oshiomhole finally dares his detractors

    ASSAILED on all sides by governors and politicians who felt shortchanged by the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries of the last few weeks, party chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has finally lost his patience and dared his detractors. He is not used to calling people names, despite his sometimes uncontrollable resort to vitriol and terrible putdowns, but having endured name-calling from Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Abdulaziz Yari, he eventually exploded on Friday by describing two of the governors as emperors and one as a political embarrassment he was unwilling to assist in building a political dynasty. With these fiery words, the APC and its chairman seemed to have shut the door on the governors whose adamantine resolve to enthrone successors has now come to grief.

    The turmoil in the APC will continue for a little while, until it is absolutely certain that the three governors cannot have their way in amending the party’s list submitted to the electoral umpire, INEC. The governors had attempted to get the president to intervene, and the president did in fact take a few hesitant steps. But in the end, whether out of wise counsel or sound logic, the president sensibly retraced his steps and kept his peace. For now, he seems to have deferred to the party. Sensing the president’s new resolve, the uppity Mr Oshiomhole has dug his heels in, called the bluff of the three governors, and given indication that on the matter of the primaries, except the courts intervene, the party has reached a denouement.

    Neither Mr Oshiomhole nor the APC has behaved unimpeachably. In fact, the party chairman’s abrasiveness and inelegant choice of words against his opponents and critics may have complicated the crisis and pushed the offended governors to the brink. The party itself had taken almost four years to start running as a political party, even as the president inexplicably kept a mystifying aloofness that opened up the party to too many competing and rapacious interests. But in the end, the party found a unionist, apparently both by nature and by training, to superintend the affairs of the orphaned and nearly dismembered party.

    If the president quickly surrendered to reality, it was probably because he saw the futility of meddling in situations his languid approach to politics appears ill-equipped to handle, and in affairs his idiosyncratic disposition to giving orders does not fit in with. In addition, the president loves to leave things to resolve themselves, as he almost did to the country until a great outcry greeted his aloofness. Apart from these, the president also probably realised that substantially, Mr Oshiomhole was more right about his depiction of the party dilemmas than the complaining governors were less wrong about their assertions and unwholesome ambitions. Overall, both the president and party chairman think that none of the governors would dare fight the party beyond their gaseous talk of revolt and defection.

    Messrs Amosun and Okorocha have been given hemlock to drink. They will sip the poison with perfect equanimity. They cannot have a Plan B that would take them out of the party; it is too late for such a move. And they cannot but campaign for their party’s candidates, for to do otherwise is to expose themselves foolishly to the possible victory of another party’s candidate. Worse, they cannot even surreptitiously campaign for other candidates or reach backdoor accommodation with them, for their party will watch their every move, and they too will be taking obscene risks. Their collective fate, it appears, is sealed, and they will loath Mr Oshiomhole because of this for a very long time.

    Many APC members may not like their party’s chairman, and many in the party may find his style hard to endure, but if the party had not risked chaos to free itself to begin operating like a political party, they would have taken their grouses and bitterness to the elections and beyond. Now, they will most likely go to the next polls fairly united. They do not have in their midst those who like to fight to the death, those who would rather the prize went to the enemy without than to the opposition within, and those destitute of all moral and political restraints. The opposition to Mr Oshiomhole, which seemed to have gathered steam a week or two ago, has all but collapsed. And while he has probably not learnt his lessons from all the discords, his chairmanship position seems to have been reinforced, and his hand considerably strengthened.

    Yes, they will go to the next polls fairly united, but do they have the ideological platform and beguiling agenda to lure the electorate away from the enticing and seductive opposition? It will take a few weeks into the campaigns before anyone can hazard a guess. If they win in 2019, they will probably run a better party than the PDP did in its 16 years in office. But if they lose, there will be enough blame to share, enough heads to decapitate, and enough fights to engender. For now, the pugnacious Mr Oshiomhole can keep all he has forcibly taken from the hands of those he derogatorily referred to as emperors and dynasty builders, assured that as long as he keeps his tongue bridled and his party winning, he may yet have a great political future far surpassing his size, laboured oratory and analytical skill.