- Gaidom, Ajumobi lay claim to Oshiomole’s former seat
A tussle has erupted in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as two claimants emerged as the Acting National Chairman of the ruling party following Tuesday’s Court of Appeal judgment in Abuja which upheld the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the party.
An FCT High Court had on March 4 granted an application by six members of the APC in Edo State suspending Oshiomhole from office.
A three member panel of justices led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem held that Oshiomhole’s appeal challenging his suspension was unmeritorious.
A group claims that Chief Victor Giadom is the Acting National Chairman of the APC, according to a ruling of the FCT High Court.
Giadom is the party’s Deputy National Secretary and highest ranking official following the ruling of the Court of Appeal which upheld Oshiomhole’s suspension and declared all his actions since his suspension null and void.
But the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said in a statement that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has named former Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as its acting National Chairman.
Mallam Issa-Onilu said the appointment of Ajumobi follows the Court of Appeal judgment which upheld the suspension of Chief Oshiomhole by an FCT High Court pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The statement reads, “Guided by advice from the party’s legal department in line with the provisions of Section 14.2. (iii) of the party’s constitution, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Sen. Abiola Ajimobi will serve as the party’s Acting National Chairman.
“According to Section 14.2. (iii) of the APC constitution, the Deputy National Chairman, North/South shall act as the National Chairman in the absence of the National Chairman from his zone.”
Senator has been in a private hospital in Lagos as a result of Coronavirus (COVID-19) complications.
The former Oyo State governor was a few weeks ago rushed to the facility after his health condition deteriorated and has since remained at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital with doctors are said to be making frantic efforts to save his life.
But a statement issued by Wole Afolabi, the counsel to the Plaintiff in the suit filed by at the FCT High Court, reads:
“COURT RECOGNIZES VICTOR GIADOM AS ACTING NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF APC
“Our attention has been drawn to a Statement purportedly issued by the Publicity Secretary of the APC to the effect that Senator Abiola Ajumobi is to act as the National Chairman of APC following the suspension from office of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by the Court of Appeal.
“We wish to state that the statement must have been issued in complete ignorance of the order of the FCT High Court issued on 16th of March, 2020, by Hon. Justice S.U Bature in Suit No. FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 to the effect that Chief Victor Giadom is to act as the National Chairman of the party due to the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman.
“The order was given the same day that the Court of Appeal earlier gave Oshiomhole a temporary respite by staying the execution of the said order suspending Oshiomhole. Now that the Court of Appeal has affirmed the order of suspension, it is only proper that the Order recognizing Chief Victor Giadom is implemented.
“Consequently, we have written to all law-enforcement agencies to implement the said order and any one who attempts to parade himself/herself other than Chief Victor Giadom as the Acting Chairman of the APC would be facing contempt of court proceedings.
“Kindly find attached the said Court Order.
“Thank You,
“CHIEF WOLE AFOLABI,
“Counsel to the Plaintiff.”
The tussle erupted the same day Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State resigned his membership of the APC, after meeting with Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa.
Obaseki had met with Gambari over his disqualification from participating in the primary of the APC.
Obaseki was disqualified by the screening committee of the APC on Friday. His disqualification was said to be due to discrepancies in his results.
Obaseki and his predecessor, Oshiomhole have been at loggerheads over the Governor’s second term bid and other issues.
The feud between Obaseki and Oshiomhole has polarised the party in Edo State. Obaseki asked Oshiomhole to recuse himself from the nomination processes of the primary but the party did not act on his request.
The faction loyal to Oshiomhole endorsed Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its consensus candidate for the June 22 governorship primary election of the party.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has expressed willingness to accept Obaseki if he decides to join the party but said he won’t get automatic ticket to run for a second term.
A last-minute meeting convened to discuss the moves to rescue Obaseki has failed as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said that it would go ahead with June 22, 2020 governorship primary election.
The APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, fielded questions from State House reporters yesterday after a meeting with the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, as well as four members of the APC NWC.
Bagudu, who represented the APC governors at the meeting, did not wait while Oshiomhole was speaking with journalists after the meeting.
The meeting, it was believed, discussed the fallout of the disqualification of Obaseki from participating in the state governorship primary election.
Oshiomhole, who said the APC had followed all necessary guidelines and standard practice required ahead of the primary, expressed optimism that the process would be “free, fair, and transparent” and produce a candidate that would unify the party.
Asked whether the APC was ready for Obaseki’s exit, Oshiomhole said: “I don’t know about exit.”
On the gazette signed by Obaseki, banning political gatherings that could make direct primary possible, he said,” we will find a way round it. He is our governor. We are law abiding. But if PDP can conduct activities across 192 wards with the same law, I don’t think our governor will discriminate against his own party.”
