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Tag: Oshiomhole

  • Oshiomhole lacks respect for truth, decency- Amosun

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun has declared that the alleged plot by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to cede Ogun State and the government to a ” gang of rapacious expansionists” in 2019 would fail.

    Amosun said Oshiomhole also lacks respect for truth and decency, accusing the former Edo State governor of using “unsavoury language” against him.

    The Governor who made this known on Saturday night in a statement by Adedayo Adeneye, the Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, was reacting to comments by Oshiomole on the controversy trailing the primaries of the party in Ogun State.

    Describing Oshiomhole as a “garrulous party chairman,” Amosun noted that he would not descend to the gutter to exchange words with him because he(Amosun)comes from a culture where acceptable standards of conduct are expected of people holding certain offices.

    He maintained that the only governorship primary that took place in Ogun State was the one that threw up his anointed man, Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade.

    Amosun said: “The only gubernatorial primary held in the State was that of October 02, 2018 which produced Hon. Adekunle Akinlade as winner.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? Is it because it was executed by the Capo Di Tutti in Lagos State?

    “We wish to call the attention of Nigerians to another evil being perpetrated by Oshiomhole in Ogun State. As at today November 03, 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 07 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 Hon. 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 Hon. 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, Hon. Rotimi Rahmon with the name of Hon. 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.

     “As regards the claim of Oshiomhole that Sen. Amosun withdrew the security of the panel, Indabawa, Chairman of the panel, is a retired Commissioner of Police.

    “He 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. 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

    ”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, Hon. Adekunle Abdulkadir Akinlade will be sworn in as the new governor of Ogun State on May 29, 2019.”

  • Okorocha, Amosun accuse Oshiomhole of injustice

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun yesterday accused All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole of condoning injustice in the way he ran the party’s primaries.

    They spoke in separate reactions to Wednesday’s defence of the party’s actions on the primaries by the chairman.

    Okorocha, who spoke at the Presidential Villa, said Oshiomhole had been acting without President Muhammadu Buhari’s consent.

    He insisted that his son-in-law Uche Nwosu should be the party’s governorship candidate.

    The parties are due to submit the names of governorship and House of Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today.

    Amosun, in a statement by Commissioner for Information Dayo Adeneye, said  Oshiomhole’s  “resort to hiding under the false claims about ‘conscience and integrity’ is cheap.”

    Okorocha, who denied he is heading for another political party, said:  ”Oshiomhole is on his own in this whole thing. There is no Presidency’s support for him to refuse candidates who won elections and give wrong candidates who didn’t win election.

    ”This is the matter and  I will simply say that he is not with the consent of the Presidency, he is on his own.”

    He asked Oshiomhole to respect the rule of law and obey court orders wherever they apply.

    Okorocha added: “This issue of treating court orders as tissue papers must stop; it doesn’t reflect the image of our party. He must act quickly to fix the integrity of this party because his coming in ought to have brought joy into the party and not sadness.”

    Asked if the APC had started to disintegrate with the crises, the governor said:  “Well, APC will not disintegrate for as long as the person, Muhammadu Buhari is still the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and remains the leader of this party.

    ”So we cannot give that credit to the chairman. He cannot disintegrate this party; the party is still intact, just that many people are hurt. Since his inception and after these primaries, we are losing almost five million voters because of anger, protest everywhere and he needs to be called to order.

    ”He has to respect the rule of law, respect court orders and do the right thing – obey court orders where applicable and not turned himself into INEC.

    On whether Oshiomhole is sticking to Hope Uzodinma with the deadline being today, Okorocha said: “He can not be standing on Hope Uzodinma because that man did not win election. You cannot compare somebody who won 265,000 votes with somebody who won 7,000 votes.

    “He (Hope Uzodinma) never won election and you cannot impose a candidate who is unacceptable to the people to the state, that is how serious the matter is now.

    Asked the implication of submitting Uzodinma’s name to INEC by the APC, he said: “He can’t! I don’t think the National Working Committee will do that because in the first place, the National Working Committee sent a 13-man delegation who conducted election and 12 of them signed and proven that Uche Nwosu won the election with 265,000 votes as against Hope Uzodinma who got less than 7,000 votes.

    ”So they can’t do that. And there is a letter to that effect from the National Working Committee, saying Uche Nwosu won. There is a Certificate of Return given to Uche Nwosu, there is a police report saying Uche Nwosu, there is INEC report saying Uche Nwosu.

    ”So nobody can do that and if they do that, that must be the worst imposition in the history of Nigeria.”

    On Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s support for Oshiomhole, Okorocha said: “No; may be he is being misinformed; if he is properly informed, he will not say what Oshiomhole is doing is the right thing.”

    Reacting to the rumour that he was planning to join SDP, the governor said: “SDP? How can I build a house and leave it for someone else? I am in APC. I founded the APC. I gave the name APC and so this is our party and we must continue with the party and build the party for victory.”

    In the statement, Amosun said: ”We state without any fear of equivocation that no one, at least not on the side of Senator Amosun, has requested or expected Oshiomhole to sell his conscience. The least we expect of him is to abide by the rules  and guidelines of the APC. Oshiomhole knows, as we know, that in the  instance of the last primaries in Ogun State, he has fallen short of the minimum standards of justice, equity and fairness. The resort to

    hiding under the false claims about “conscience and integrity” is cheap.

    “Oshiomhole knows that there were no other gubernatorial primaries in Ogun State other than the one that produced Hon. Adekunle Akinlade as candidate.

    “He knows that the primaries into national and legislative offices were won hundred per cent by those declared winner by the panel he sent to Ogun State to oversee the exercise.

    “In his conduct, Oshiomhole has exhibited disdain for the interest of the APC and that of the National Leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari. Senator Amosun remains committed to his convictions about President Buhari and nothing in the shenanigan of the primaries will change that.

    “Oshiomhole’s claim that only three governors are  aggrieved about the conduct of the primaries flies in the face of the  nation-wide outcry that remains loud, trailing the exercise several  weeks after. We remind him that in any case, justice is not dependent on the number of whom it has been denied. Injustice to one is  injustice to all.

    “The overwhelming majority of members of the APC in  Ogun State remain unshaken in their rejection of the gangsterism that  has been visited on them in the conduct of the primaries. They remain resolved that the attempt to hand over their state and their patrimony  to a rapacious gang of expansionists in the South West will be resisted, not only by members of the APC but by the entire people of Ogun State who are too enlightened to tolerate such abomination.”

     

  • Anenih endorsed my bid for APC chair, says Oshiomhole

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole yesterday described the late Chief Anenih as “a political colossus.”

    In a statement he personally signed, Oshiomhole said: “Politics may have separated us, but nothing affected our personal relationship.

    “Whatever public disagreement we might have had, I am consoled that we both reconciled at the church altar after he announced his retirement from partisan politics.

    “It is a measure of his generosity of spirit that when I announced my interest in the chairmanship of APC earlier this year, he wrote a letter of endorsement expressing absolute confidence in my ability to inspire APC to greater heights.

    His explicit support was not just in an objective appreciation of my ability but also in solidarity as fellow Edo man.

    “We may have disagreed in terms of methodology, but there is no denying that deep in his heart was a commitment to see the progress of the nation at large and his native Edo in particular.”

  • Imo APC: Nwosu urges Oshiomhole to ignore ‘Abuja politicians’

    A former Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, Uche Nwosu, has urged the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomole, to ignore those he called Abuja politicians and take decisions that are in consonance with the will of the people.

    Nwosu, who addressed reporters at the weekend in Owerri, the state capital, noted that undermining the masses to please a crop of politicians, who he said are not in touch with the people, would mar the chances of the party in next year’s general elections.

    Nwosu, who was declared winner of the state APC governorship primary, urged the party’s leadership to avoid basing their decisions on sentiments and propaganda perpetrated by the “Abuja-based politicians”.

    The APC chieftain said such politicians “cannot even win their polling booths in an election”.

    Nwosu said he has the best chances of winning the governorship election for the party.

    The APC chieftain noted that elections are not won on television or pages of newspapers.

    He urged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to conduct popularity test in the state to find out those who can win the election for the party.

    Nwosu said: “The question our party should be asking is: do we want to win this election? And how do you win a general election? Of course, you must have the people with you and you must make sure that the people believe in you. Yout must not just stay in Abuja and make all the noise while you are not on the ground.

    “One challenge I have thrown to these people is that they should come home and let us put our popularity to test. Let them organise a rally and let me organise one too and let us judge by the turnout who is truly on the ground and who is more popular, who won’t win elections on the television or on the pages of newspapers.”

  • Those after Oshiomhole are enemies of Buhari –South South APC chairmen

    STATE chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South geopolitical zone have said that all those calling for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole are enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari and working as fifth columnist to ensure that the party loses the 2019 presidential election. Rising from a meeting in Abuja, the state chairmen said all those working for the ouster of Oshiomhole were doing do so for selfish reasons and working to cause crisis in the party, adding that they would resist any such move aimed at causing disaffection within the party.

    The communique was signed by the five of the six state Chairmen, namely Prophet Jones Ode Erue (Delta), Anslem Ojezua (Edo), Hon.Ini Okopido (Akwa Ibom), Hon.Amos Jothan (Bayelsa) and Dr Matthew Achigbe (Cross River). The Supreme Court recently voided the election of the state executive in Rivers State. While passing a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Oshiomhole led National Working Committee, they expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the party primaries to elect candidates for the 2019 general elections. They appealed to state governors, party leaders and members to unite and “continue to support the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party and we are sure of victory come 2019 general elections.”

    The communique which was made available to newsmen in Abuja reads: “We, chairmen of the All Progressives Congress in the six states of the South South, at the end of our emergency meeting held on Thursday October 25, 2018, in Abuja, passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). “The leadership of the APC under Comrade Oshiomhole has been working satisfactorily in repositioning the party and we are satisfied with the conduct and outcome of the presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly primaries held at the national and state levels.

    “The party under the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole, our national chairman, is on course towards ensuring victory for our party in 2019 and all mechanisms set in place to address disagreements on the outcome of the exercise are in the right direction and well received by us. “We urge all aggrieved members of our great party to explore the internal mechanism provided by the party in finding amicable solution. In any such exercise, such conflicts are bound to occur and we are satisfied that they are being addressed. “We stand by the leadership of the party under Comrade Oshiomhole and we will resist alleged efforts of fifth columnist to cause disaffection in the party.

    All those allegedly working for the removal of our national chairman are not only doing so for selfish reason, but working to cause crisis in our party ahead of the election and we will resist all such moves. “We are convinced that all their plans are indirectly aimed at the second term victory of President Muhammadu Buhari come 2019. We want to add that those calling for the resignation of our amiable National Chairman, Comrade Oshiomhole are enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari. “We appeal to all our governors, party leaders and members to unite as one and continue to support the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party and we are sure of victory come 2019 general elections.”

  • Akeredolu attacks Oshiomhole

    Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu yesterday attacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman Adams Oshiomhole over the conduct of the party’s primaries.

    There has been no love lost between the governor and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by Oshiomhole since after the primaries.

    Akeredolu wanted his prefered man to take over Ondo North Senatorial seat from Senator Robert Boroffice. But the NWC supported the continuation of the senator in office.

    On Tuesday, one of the Buhari Support groups, accused Akeredolu of leading the conservative group plotting a vote of no confidence in Oshiomhole in addition to sabotaging the party.

    But yesterday, Akeredolu, according to a statenment by his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy Dr Doyin Odebowale, described the primaries as “political charade”, saying they not only exposed the “sheer incompetence” of APC’s national leadership, but revealed “a shocking proclivity towards banditry and impunity”.

    Akeredolu said recent events justified his opposition to Oshiomhole’s choice as party chairman.

    According to him, those who feel aggrieved reserve the right to demand justice, including calling for Oshiomhole’s removal.

    The governor, however, restated his commitment to work “assiduously” for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, who he said is loved by the people of Ondo who see his re-election as a “patriotic duty”.

    Akeredolu, who described organisers of the pro-Oshiomhole protest as “opportunists”, denied the allegation that he led governors of Ogun, Kaduna Adamawa and Ekiti states against Oshiomhole’s leadership.

    ”There is no truth in the whole contrivance. The governor has been pre-occupied with matters of governance in Ondo State for which he was elected,” the statement said.

    Akeredolu recalled his “noble interventions” as Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President at critical moments in the cause of the progressives, including in restoring Oshiomole’s stolen mandate.

    He also denied moving from “north to south” collecting signatures against the national chairman.

    Akeredolu added that if need be, he would work to getting Oshiomhole removed as chairman.

    He added:  ”Those who collected varying and humongous amounts as fees from aspirants during the last grandiose charade called primaries and submitted names dictated to them by a cabal, notorious for capturing political power for unbridled pillage, should be bold to explain their real motives to the people. They should be honest enough to deal with the issues.”

  • Oshiomhole in eye of storm

    THE politics of nominations appears to be tearing apart the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In the eye of the storm are the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, some governors and legislators who lost out at the primaries.

    A combative Oshiomhole has justified his position on the controversial shadow polls. He explained to reporters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that some governors  were after him because he insisted on rules, regulations and guidelines. He predicted that the plot to remove him will fail.

    However, the crisis is polarising the party ahead of next year’s elections.

    The plot by the powerful clique made up of some President Muhammadu Buhari’s kitchen cabinet members and some governors means that much energy would have to be dissipated on crisis management. The impression is being created that the ruling party is divided.

    Oshiomhole may have offended the clique because of his refusal to do their biddings.

    The governors’disaffection with Oshiomhole is not unconnected with their failure to impose their cronies as flag bearers for next year’s polls.

    The governors are said to be looking for a replacement for the chairman. Their calculation is to get someone more amenable to their interests and demands as chairman, a source said.

    A party insider disclosed yesterday that one of the Southwest governors is coordinating the onslaught against Oshiomhole. “Members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) are being contacted to agree to the removal of the chairman,” he added.

    The chairman is not sleeping on guard. He has the support of notable party elders, particularly the national leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, who has also advised him to reach truce with the aggrieved chieftains. According to sources, the president is finding ways of restoring peace so that the party can go into elections as a united fold.

    Oshiomhole may have refused to be on the defensive. He has not allowed himself to be boxed into a corner by the obvious gang up. As a former governor, he is not afraid of his former colleagues in the APC Governors’ Forum. He has maintained that he is not ready to compromise his principle to please a few, adding that impunity should not be permitted in the party. Oshiomhole said he has a mission to galvanise the APC into a disciplined and cohesive platform capable of winning elections.

    During the primaries across the states, there was gulf between the state chapters and the NEC over the modalities. Also, there were confusion and anxieties in many chapters. While the governors call the shots in their states, the onus was on the national leadership to constitute the committees for the primaries. In amany states, there were disagreements over the adoption of consensus, indirect primary and the direct system. For example, in Ogun State, where Governor Ibikunle Amosu claimed that the candidates emerged through consensus, the NEC affirmed the emergence of Dapo Abiodun as governorship flag bearer because the primary was conducted by the panel it set up. The anxiety peaked as the October 18 deadline  for the submission of candidates’ list was approaching.

    The time constraints, sources said, motivated the national leadership to opt for consensus, which led to the controversial selection in some states. To Oshiomhole, the step was politically correct.

    However, the option was used where there were clear disputes over the ticket.

    APC National Publicity Secretary Lanre Isa-Onilu urged the aggrieved to bury their hatchets and allow peace to reign. He justified the step taken by the NEC, saying that it was the best it could do at that moment.

    On the Zamfara APC crisis, he said: “The issue is that there were crises. The INEC guidelines provide for the resolution of such crisis. It happened in other states, including other parties, which also had issues with their primaries.

    “There was no particular issue in Zamfara State to warrant the special attention being given it. There was a primary in Zamfara, but the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wrote that there were no primary election in the state stirred up issues. We have submitted names of candidates for the legislative seats in Zamfara State and for all other states.”

    Onilu is optimistic that the Ogun APC crisis will be resolved. He said the report Amosun has threatened not to support the APC, if his preferred candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, is dropped, was mere speculation.

    Onilu added: “The governor has a right to express his interest as a leader in APC. Where there are issues, it can be resolved through the party mechanism and I am sure that the party will do that, there is nothing to worry about in this regard.”

    The governors were not happy that the NEC kept the list of candidates it submitted to INEC secret.

    A source said the leadership of the party had to rally its legal team to advise it on the steps to be taken in dealing with the primary crisis.

    Apart from Zamfara, other states where the APC also employed the consensus option include, Rivers, Cross River, Adamawa, Niger, Imo and Nasarawa.

    A party chieftain, who supported the NEC on the vexed issue, said: “Many flag bearers have been thrown up by governors who did not command majority support. Popular candidates are edged out. Oshiomhole, should be commended.

    ‘If the aggrieved governors are popular, there is no need for them to impose candidates. They should have prepared for primaries.”

    To Oshiomhole, there is no going back on the NEC’s decision. He chided some chieftains he described as “conservative elements” for spearheading the plot to pass a vote of no confidence on him. He vowed to insist on party supremacy and discipline.”

    Oshiomhole said history would justify his efforts and  posterity would vindicate him.

    However, a chieftain from the Southwest called for “compromise and reconciliation,” warning that the division could spell doom for the party during the elections.

    He said: “The governors should not be disparaged. Oshiomhole is a former governor. He should know how to better communicate with his former colleagues.

    “The party needs a special reconciliation committee to resolve the logjam and nediate between the NEC and the governors and other aggrieved leaders.

    “APC cannot afford to risk another gale of defections. It is better to forge unity than to wobble on as a divided house. No problem is beyond solution.

    “The president should also take the initiative as the national leader and father of the party. If the governors withdraws their support from the candidates that did not emerge through them, the party may suffer.  It is better to reconcile the aggrieved politicians in the interest of the party.”

    Oshiomhole is a strong politician. He is bold, brave and courageous. As a union leader, he survived the tempest. In Edo State, where he was governor for eight years, he fought against godfatherism and triumphed. He was also fortunate to win the succession battle, installing Godwin Obaseki as governor.

    During the APC chairmanship race, he dwarfed other contenders-Clement Ebri and Oslareimen Osunbor-who withdraw from the race. He was anointed as the national chairman. He was the sole candidate.

    To him, party governance is not a tea party. Since he assumed the reins, he has been up and doing. Oshiomhole came on board at a time of division when APC was battling with threats of defection by prominent members. He swung into action. He was able to persuade many chieftains to sheathe their swords. But, he also failed to convince others to maintain an abiding interest in the ruling party.

    The defection did not translate into a major decimation. Oshiomhole the wordsmith returned fire for fire. His arrows of sharp criticisms did not miss the targets. The chairman berated the defectors, saying that they lacked candour and honour. He said APC will survive without them.

    The ex-APC chieftain returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Since then, they have been firing salvos at the ruling party.

    Oshiomhole has led the party to victory in Ekiti and Osun governrship elections. He campaigned vigorously for victory in the two states. Although the results of the polls are still being contested in the two states, it is not due to the chairman’s undoing.

    Today, Oshiomhole is on the hot seat. He faces a formidable challenge. He is not someone who runs away from challenges. But, can he afford to lead a divided party to a critical election?

    A chieftain from Lagos said: “The founding fathers of the party cannot afford to sit on the fence. PDP is putting its house in order, or so it seems. The proposed elections are very important. The APC should put its house in order.

    “The lesson is that the change from delegates system to direct primary threw some people off balance. Since it is now the vogue, I hope stakeholders will adjust.”

    Until the post-primary crisis surfaced, Oshiomhole was generally popular as a party leader. But, many of those challenging his authority now are the same people who endorsed his candidature.

    Will there be reconciliation? Will they succed in their plot to remove the chairman? Can the conflict still be resolved in favour of the governors? Who will reconcile Oshiomhole and his former colleagues?

  • Oshiomhole queries competence of suit seeking his probe for graft

    •Court schedules hearing for Nov 19

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC’s)  National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has queried the competence of a suit seeking his probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption related conduct.

    Oshiomhole, who also questioned the plaintiff’s right under the law, to seek to compel the EFCC to probe his tenure as Edo State Governor, urged the court to dismiss the suit for being incompetent.

    The plaintiff, Bishop Osadolor Ochei, said he, on October 28, 2016, petitioned the EFCC, demanding that Oshiomhole be  investigated on some allegations he (Ochei) has made against the ex-Governor.

    The said his suit, filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja was as a result of the EFCC’s alleged failure to act on his petition.

    The plaintiff’s  lawyer West Idahosa said there were documents and electronic pictures of palatial houses credited to the former governor, whose earnings throughout his lifetime, according to the plaintiff, could not have been able to afford.

    Idahosa said, among other allegations, there was evidence that the ex-governor allegedly diverted Edo State’s funds. He claimed that there were also vouchers of exorbitant air fares that the former governor allegedly incurred.

    Oshiomhole, in a notice of preliminary objection filed by his lawyer, Damien Dodo (SAN), argued that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to bring the suit.

    In the objection, supported by 10 grounds, Oshiomhole argued that the suit has become a mere academic exercise since the plaintiff failed to file the suit for judicial review within three months of the occurrence of the subject of the case.

    He argued that the action or inaction of the EFCC being subjected to review by the proceedings occurred on December 13, 2016, while the plaintiff only institute the action for judicial review on June 13, 2018.

    The APC National Chairman noted that this came about 18 months after the occurrence of the alleged failure being complained about.

    He argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit for failure of the plaintiff to begin the action within the time provided by extant rules of the court and for failure to disclose locus standi to file the action.

    The judge, Justice Anwuli Chikere, had on October 8, 2018, granted leave to the plaintiff to begin the suit for “judicial review”.

     

     

  • I am not part of plot against Oshiomhole, says Bindow

    Adamawa state governor, Senator Mohammed Umar Jibrilla Bindow has dismissed claims that he was part of a plot by some governors to pass a vote of no confidence on the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomohle.

    Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the governor, Macauley Hunohashi told The Nation that the allegation was not only baseless, but a figment of the imagination of those spreading the news.

    Hunohashi said the governor who just won a primary election described as free, fair and credible has remained focused in his determination to provide the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

    He said “this allegation is not only baseless, misleading, defamatory and malicious, but has the  semblance of political absurdity.

    “Senaator Jibrilla is a committed democrat and a very loyal member of the ruling party and has remained focused in his determination to provide dividends of good governance for the good people of Adamawa State.

    “To rope him in an alledged plot to remove Comrade Oshiomohle is a story that only exist in the imagination of some faceless groups.

    “The governor just came out of an election which was adjudged free, fair and credible, where he won convincingly and has been relentless in reconciling some members so that APC can emerge stronger in the 2019 general election.

    ” He has never met with any body, any where, to plot the removal of the national chairman.”

    A group which described itself as Federation of Buhari Support Group had listed Gov. Bindow as one of the governors working to get the APC National Chairman out of office.

  • Most APC members happy with me, says Oshiomhole

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole yesterday said there is no cause for alarm on the speculated moves to remove him from office.

    He told State House reporters after a delegation of APC politicians from Kwara State met with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Oshiomhole said apart from “one or two” out of the 23 APC governors, 90 per cent of APC members are happy with his leadership.

    He said that those not happy with him were aggrieved because he insisted on following the due process.

    He said he could not watch people with power suppress the powerless.

    He said: “ I just want to clarify it that I have seen banner headlines, people are just calling me, there is crisis in APC, that my office is under threat, some APC persons are very angry and all that.

    “I just want to say that this is my finest hour. I am being encouraged by the level of participation in our primaries and of course the more open, the more the democratic process is.

    “Most people today who are actively involved in politics that we might describe as not too young to run, the only model that they have seen was the PDP model which ran for 16 years.

    “So understandably, the culture of opposition, the culture of cheating, the culture of power determining outcome has been so well entrenched.

    “And what we are trying to do under my leadership of the APC is to work consciously to entrench the core values of progressive politics which is that the people must necessarily lead, the members should not be distant spectators, the party members should be the drivers of this process.

    “Yes we recognize power, yes we recognize protocol but at the end of the day, power must flow from the membership when it comes to primaries and it must flow from the Nigeria people when it comes to the popular election.”

    “Somehow it has been my lot to be on the side of the oppressed whether that oppressed is a worker, whether is a senator or House of Reps, whoever you are that I think that my job is simply well cut out for me so that we uphold the rule of our party and the Electoral Act and the spirit of progressive politics and I think that I can say comfortably that about 90 per cent of APC members are happy, it is not possible to have 100 per cent.

    “So, on the whole I am a very happy person, it has been quite challenging but I can say tough time doesn’t last, but tough people will always do. And I think we have been toughened by our history of struggle. And I’m humbled by the amount of support we are getting from critical stakeholders of the APC

    “There maybe one or two governors who have issues and those issues can only be resolved democratically within the spirit, the letter and all the relevant provisions of APC Constitution, Electoral Guidelines and of course the Electoral Act.

    “The Electoral Act is completely blind and our party rules too are completely blind to power that it is sensitive to procedures, it is sensitive to processes.

    “The good news is that the overwhelming majority, we have about 23 governors, I think we are very much happy, I don’t have issues with anyone, only one or two may have some situation that they may want to see differently but that how the world is.

    “It is not correct to suggest that there is a move, though, one governor has publicly said he will ensure that I am removed, that is fine, the beauty of democracy is any one or two could say something, but the majority is what matters.

    “But I think even those two, when they have deeper reflection, they will recognize that all I have done is to stubbornly insist that the rules must be obeyed, nothing more, and nothing less.”

    Also yesterday, media adviser to Oshiomhole denied been authorized to issue his statemt on Sunday whch indicated that some leads of the party were up in arms against the party leader.

    In a statement he personally signed, Simon Egbebulem said the APC chair enjoys a cordial relationship with all stakeholders of the party.