APC governors go tough on Oshiomhole, call NEC meeting

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State governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are at daggers drawn with the National Chairman of the party, Adam Oshiomhole over the seemingly unending crises rocking the ruling party.

Under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress Governors Forum, the governors are calling on Oshiomhole to call for National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to resolve party’s challenges.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Mr Salihu Lukman in Abuja on Wednesday, the forum said that Oshiomhole should respect the provision of party constitution and convene a meeting to deliberate on the party’s challenges.
“Somehow, unfortunately, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party, which is the organ vested with the statutory responsibility of responding to all these challenges appear to be suspended.
“The last time it met was August 2018. In its place, the National Working Committee (NWC), which is an administrative organ with the responsibility of implementing decisions of NEC and other higher organs seems to have usurped the powers of NEC.
“Sadly, even the NWC, as at today, is a shadow of itself, as it has lost many members either on accounts of appointment into government or controversial suspension.
“For instance, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Deputy National Chairman (South) is today a Minister of the Federal Republic.
“Sen. Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy National Chairman (North) is allegedly suspended. Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, National Vice Chairman (North West) is similarly suspended,” he said.
Lukman recalled that in June 2019, the NWC allegedly suspended Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo.
He added that during the 2019 general elections, on accounts of the roles of former governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun against the candidates of the party, they were similarly suspended.
According to him, whether all these actions are permissible by provisions of the APC’s constitution is highly contestable.
“Why should all these be allowed to happen? Why is it impossible to convene a NEC or even National Caucus meetings, which are supposed to hold every quarter to resolve all these issues?
“Why should the NWC in Oshiomhole’s leadership continue to imagine that it can conduct affairs of the party without mandatory meetings of party organs?
“What legacy is Oshiomhole hoping to achieve as a national chairman by running the party in a way that suggests almost zero commitment to issues of party development?
“Our national leaders must rise to the challenge facing us as a party and take all necessary measures to convene superior organ meetings to begin to resolve all our challenges as a party,” he said.
In the run up to the general elections earlier in the year, the APC was enmeshed in serious intra party crisis thrown up by some hotly contested party primaries to choose candidates for the elections. And the crisis quite divisive in some states like Zamfara and Rivers where the party could not field candidates in the various elections continued after the polls threatening party unity.
Oshiomhole himself is not immune as the state chapter of APC in his home state of Edo, earlier this week suspended him from the party, a move not unconnected to the loggerhead between him and state governor, Godwin Obaseki.
A faction of the leadership of the party in the state, in retaliation, today suspended the governor in a tit-for-tat approach to 5he crisis.

 

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