For over a year, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had been fighting internal and external battles, ranging from personal credibility crisis and wrangling within the party. ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU in this report writes on issues that led to his suspension and whether or not he can survive it.
Why he was suspended
On Wednesday, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting at Jabi ordered the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to stop parading himself as the party’s chairman.
The court, led by Justice Danlami Senchi, in his ruling, ordered that Oshiomhole should remain out of office pending the determination of a substantive suit that was brought against him by some aggrieved members of the party.
It was gathered that the order followed an application of interlocutory injunction that six plaintiffs, led by the party’s vice-chairman (North-east), Mustapha Salihu, filed through their lawyer, Oluwole Afolabi.
The plaintiff had, among other things, prayed the court to oust Oshiomhole from office on the account that he was previously suspended as a member of the party from his Etsako ward 10, in Edo state.
Oshiomhole was cited as the 1st respondent in the matter, the APC was sued as the 2nd respondent. In the application dated January 16, the plaintiffs told the court that Oshiomhole failed to challenge his suspension in his primary ward in Edo state.
They argued that since his suspension remained extant, his rights as a member of the party are currently abated, insisting that he could, therefore, not continue to head the APC as its chairman.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer argued that it would be legally wrong for Oshiomhole to continue to enjoy benefits from the APC in view of his suspension as a member of the party at state level. On that account, Justice Senchi held that the 2nd respondent (APC) wrongfully retained Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party in view of the affidavit evidence before the court.
Consequently, he ordered that Oshiomhole should stop parading himself as the party’s national chairman and directed that he should not be granted access to the party’s secretariat and the party should also stop acknowledging Oshiomhole as the chairman of the APC.
Implication of the stay of execution
It was, however, reported by some online media that Oshiomhole has applied for a stay of execution. Legal practitioners are of the view that by the virtue of that appeal and the Motion for Stay of Execution, Oshiomole, by law, is the chairman of the APC.
On that note, political pundits stated that this consequently means that Oshiomhole will spend more time in the court than in the office as the chairman of the APC.
Battle from home front
Indeed as stated by the plaintiff and the prayer granted by the judge, the battle for Oshiomhole’s removal started from a state he governed for eight years and under the leadership of a political son he installed as the governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Oshiomhole and his political son Obaseki had been at loggerheads for a while, and it was alleged that Oshiomhole was plotting not to allow Obaseki return as governor and Obaseki in return was planning to have him removed as the party chairman.
However, it reached its peaks when sometimes in November 2019, the Edo state APC faction suspended the comrade chairman. The decision followed the vote of no confidence allegedly passed on him by the chairmen of the APC in the 18 local government areas of the state.
A statement jointly signed by the APC chairman and assistant secretary in Edo, Anselm Ojezua and Ikuenobe Anthony, respectively, indicated that Oshiomhole was suspended for his alleged role in the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party.
The statement read in part, “Consequent on the development, the State Executive Committee has adopted the vote of no confidence passed on him and the subsisting suspension order from the organs of the party in the state. The vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole and the suspension are the fallout of his role in trying to disintegrate the party in Edo state.
“Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is the one behind the crisis in Edo APC. We have passed a vote of no confidence in him and he stands suspended from the party. We don’t want what happened in Zamfara state or other parts of the country to happen in Edo state.”
In a reaction to the Obaseki APC faction, the Oshiomhole APC faction in a statement jointly signed by the chairman of the body and Etsako-west chairman, Ibrahim Akokia, as well as his Etsako-central and Owan-west counterparts, Suleiman Bagudu and Lugard Alukpe, respectively, the 18 LG chairmen of the party in the state distanced themselves from Oshiomhole’s suspension.
They insisted that they were not aware of such a meeting where a vote of no confidence was passed on Oshiomhole who they said was “doing very well.”
On the contrary, they accused the governor, Obaseki, of harassment and intimidation, adding that his actions could pull down the APC in the state. They, therefore, called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to expel Governor Obaseki from the party over allegations of anti-party activities.
Consequently, the party in the state of the suspended APC national chairman has been in disarray. This got so bad to the extent that it led to so many physical confrontations by loyalists of Oshiomhole and Obaseki in the state.
Haunted by Zamfara, Rivers, Imo, and Ogun enemies
Before the Obaseki issue became known to many, in the course of conducting the APC governorship elections in Zamfara, Rivers, Imo and Ogun states Oshiomhole was said to have made so many enemies.
Pundits said the ego fight between the camp of the former Governor Abdulaziz Yari and that of Sentor Kabir Marafa im Zamfara state was a failed test for Oshiomhole. They said further that instead of Oshiomhole to genuinely look for a way to settle the duo for party’s interest it was alleged that he supported a camp, and consequently the party lost a state they had won via a Supreme Court ruling.
In Rivers state, the alleged inability of ability of the Oshiomhole-led national working committee to resolve the crisis in the state between former governor and current minister of transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, and Chief Magnus Abe, enabled the court to ban the party from fielding any candidate for any elective position in the state during the 2019 general elections.
In Imo state, Oshiomhole stood against the former Governor Rochas Okorocha from installing his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu. If not for the recent Supreme Court judgment that declared Senator Hope Uzodinnma of APC winner of the state governorship election, the crisis almost cost them Imo too. Similarly in Ogun state, former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, is certainly not happy that his preferred candidate never emerged as the party candidate. And like Okorocha, Amosun was also suspended for anti party.
Setbacks for Oshiomhole
A political analyst, Aminu Muhammed, has described the incident in Zamfara, Rivers, Ogun and Imo APC as a great setback for the capacity of Oshiomhole to manage the party.
In a phone chat with Blueprint Weekend, Muhammed said, “Everyone thinks Oshiomhole will take charge of the party better than the former chairman, John Oyegun. Oshiomhole was confronted with challenges in Rivers, Zamfara, Imo and Ogun, but he failed to resolve them well. Under Oshiomhole leadership, the party couldn’t field candidates in Rivers and all votes cast for the party in Zamfara was cancelled. Instead looking for a political window to close ranks and resolve most of the crises in these states, Oshiomhole was busy playing to the gallery.
“Zamfara, Rivers, Imo and Ogun are why some people want him to go. Though there are other reasons, most of these people are hinging on Oshiomhole’s role in these states to seek his removal. He made more enemies and gave them weapon to use against him, I doubt if he can survive it.
Bayelsa compounds Oshiomhole’s problems
Political analysts are also of the view that the Bayelsa case compounded Oshiomhole’s problems.
As the party and some of its stalwarts were preparing to travel to Bayelsa to oust the APC flag in the oil-rich state’s government house, the Supreme Court sacked the governor-elect, David Lyon, and his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo, both of the APC.
A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to the All Progressives Congress’ candidate as the winner of the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state.
The court upheld the November 12, 2019, judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which had disqualified Degi-Eremienyo in the election for submitting forged certificates to INEC. The court ruled that Mister Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had infected the joint ticket with which he and the governorship candidate, Lyon, ran for and won November 16, 2019.
Consequently, many stalwarts of the party have continued to blame Oshiomhole for what played out in Bayelsa. This led to Oshiomhole must go protest and a pro- Oshiomhole’s protest in Abuja. In fact, some alleged that he was aware of the forged certificate, but refused to do anything because of his interest.
Issues, options before Oshiomhole
Another political analyst, Jide Ojo, said there are certain things he could do save himself.
In a phone chat with Blueprint Weekend, Ojo said, “What is playing out is politics and in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies, what is permanent is interest. So, if the majority of the members, particularly the chieftains of the party, still have need for him he will survive. But if they see him as an impediment to their interest ahead of 2023, they may sacrifice him.
“It seems the confidence being displayed by governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, indicates that there are people in Abuja who are drumming for him.
“Provided they are able to muster very weighty allegations against him, this may be the beginning of the end of Adams Oshiomhole. But as reported, he claimed to have applied for a stay of execution which then means that he will be more in the court than in the office because if the oxen in APC are ready to sacrifice him, he cannot survive it.
“So, the issue is just like they sacrifice John Oyegun, ahead of 2019 general elections, this may be another sacrifice. This may be an opportunity for those behind this to look for a party chairman who will do their bidding in 2020 going forward.”
On the option before Oshiomhole and the APC, Ojo said, “Unless they quickly mend fences, what befell PDP after 2014 general elections may happen to the APC. “His option is to reach out to the aggrieve members of the party that want him out. He knows them; he cannot be a sole administrator of a national party. He needs to blend interests.
“He also needs to talk less, as chairman of the ruling party. He needs to talk less and act more. What he said after the Supreme Court ruling on Bayelsa is very unbecoming of the chairman of a national party and a ruling party for that matter. His loquaciousness has actually done more harm than good for the party. Because of the way he goes about addressing press conferences recklessly, talking without thinking through the implication of some of his utterance.
“This is the time Chief Bisi Akande reconciliation committee recently set up need to fast track their work. Because as he said, elders cannot be in the market place and the child’s head will be bend.
“So, people of goodwill, even President Muhammadu Buhari all of them need to seat down including Obaseki to solve all the problems amicably. Otherwise, this may lead to depilation of their electoral stronghold ahead of the 2023 elections.”
