… We‘ll comply –APC
There was palpable tension Wednesday at the Abuja national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as heavily armed security men from the Nigerian Police Force were deployed to ensure order.
This followed a court order suspending the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
Court order
In the order, given by a Jabi Division of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja Wednesday, the court said there should be an interim suspension of the party chair pending the determination of the main suit.
Giving the order, Justice Danlami Senchi said it was wrong for Oshiomhole to remain as APC chair while under suspension as a party member.
He therefore ordered Oshiomhole to stop parading himself as the party chair and further directed the APC to cease recognising him as one.
The court also ordered the APC to deny the former Edo state governor access to the party secretariat.
His suspension followed the application by a party member and lawyer, Mr. Oluwole Afolabi.
Afolabi based his application on the suspension of the national chairman last year by a faction of the party in his home state of Edo.
Mr Damian Dodo, SAN, represented Oshiomhole and the APC.
The application had Oshiomhole and APC as first and second respondent respectively.
In the application dated and filed on January 16, the plaintiffs contended that Oshiomhole was under suspension by the party and had not challenged the suspension.
They said Oshiomhole’s rights as a member was currently abated and cannot continue to act as chairman of the party.
The plaintiffs’ counsel also submitted that Oshiomhole cannot continue to enjoy benefits from the APC in view of his suspension as a party member.
The court said political parties must be bound by their constitutions, insisting that since Oshiomhole was evidently suspended by his ward and the suspension went unchallenged, he had no business parading himself as the national chairman of his party.
Justice Senchi adjourned till April 7 and 8 for hearing into the substantive suit.
Riot police
Tension
The development caused some tension within the APC as some riot policemen stormed the party secretariat at 5 pm Wednesday in 9 trucks, with a couple of them moving around the premises, asking staff to return to their offices.
The security measure, it was gathered, followed alleged plan by some political thugs to take advantage of Oshiomhole’s suspension to foment trouble.
A Blueprint reporter who was on ground at the party secretariat, also observed that the bailiffs were at the party secretariat to deliver a copy of the judgement to the office of the national legal adviser at about 4:57pm.
The arrival of the armed security men, including men of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS), created tension among the staff and residents of Blantyre Street, Wuse II Abuja.
On arrival at about 5pm, the security personnel ordered all staff members and journalists within the party premises to return to their offices while those who wanted to come in were denied access.
All efforts to get comments from the party spokesman, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu and the media aide to the embattled national chairman, Mr. Simon Egbebulem, were unsuccessful as several calls put through to their GSM lines were not answered.
Protesters, thugs clash
Notwithstanding the presence of armed security men, a mild drama played out at about 6:30pm when some protesters calling for the removal of Oshiomhole, were suddenly confronted by some dreaded-looking young men believed to be loyal to Oshiomhole.
The clash was however averted by the security men, who consequently ordered all staff members and journalists out of the party secretariat at about 7:05pm.
National vice chair backs suspension
Meanwhile, a national vice chairman of the party in the North-east, Mr. Saliu Mustapha, has expressed support for the court’s decision to suspend Oshiomhole.
The APC national officer, however, alleged that the suspended national chairman was about to cause confusion by announcing Arch. Waziri Bulama as the national secretary.
Salihu said: “Immediately the court injunction was given, the national chairman has called the party’s national publicity secretary to issue a statement to the press that Bulama is the Chief Secretary to the party.
“I believe you people (journalists) are aware of the meeting held about a month ago on that matter, which ended without a decision. Since then there has not been a decision as to the replacement of the secretary.
“The chairman is about to create more chaos within the party as he gave the order,” the APC leader said.
Saliu, who had been on the same page with the national chairman, said since court declared Oshiomhole suspended, whatever decision taken by him would be considered illegal.
“The public should know that any decision that Oshiomhole makes henceforth is an illegal decision and will not hold.
“We will keep our fingers crossed until the court decides. I am saying this so that there will not be two national secretaries and there can be no affirmation from a national chairman that has been suspended,” he further said.
Asked if he would accept Bulama as the party secretary if announced by the party, he said: “The party cannot accept Bulama. Who is the party? The person that should hold that position must be the most senior person in the party.”
‘Party’ll comply’
Assuring on compliance however, APC Acting National Secretary, Mr. Victor Giadom, told newsmen at an emergency press conference that the party would respect the court order suspending the national chairman.
Giadom said: “As a party, we are aware of the injunction. As a law abiding party, we will respect all lawful court orders. Very soon, the National Working Committee will meet and you will hear further from the party. I am trying to say that the All Progressives Congress will respect all lawful court orders.”
Asked to confirm whether Oshiomhole was on suspension, he added: “Lke I do say, there’s a court injunction and it is binding on us as a party to respect all the court injunctions.”
Party names new officials
And amidst all the confusion occasioned by the suspension of the party chair, the party’s NWC approved the nomination of Arch. Bulama as the party’s acting national secretary.
With this, the party is facing a leadership crisis of sort as Mustapha had earlier expressed the fear that there were plans by the suspended chairman to bring on board Bulama as the APC scribe.
He said bringing Bulama on board would amount to an illegality and the January meeting where the issue came up was not concluded.
Besides, it was not clear last night who takes over from Oshiomhole, at least in acting capacity, because the party has no deputy national chairman at the moment.
Senator Lawal Shuaib from the north west of Zamfara state is the party’s deputy national chairman from the north, who stayed aloof following Oshiomhole’s style of administration.
But a statement released by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Issa-Onilu, said the decision was reached on January 14, 2020 during the meeting of the NWC at the party’s national secretariat.
“Following the resignation of H.E. Mai Mala Buni as the Party’s National Secretary in May 2019 prior to his election as the Governor of Yobe State, the party subsequently gave notice for a replacement from the zone.
“The NWC has also approved the nominations of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman (South) and Mr. Paul Chukwuma as the National Auditor following nominations from the respective zones.”
Edo APC, Obaseki
For the Edo APC and Governor Godwin Obaseki, the order by the Abuja court was a welcome development.
Obaseki, who had been at daggers drawn with Oshiomhole over the soul of the party in Edo state, described the ruling as a right decision for the party.
The governor stated this Wednesday while addressing party members during the Edo South Senatorial rally of the APC in Benin City, the state capital.
He said: “When we planned this meeting last week to meet with all our executives, we did not know that God has plan for us today.
“No man is God. God is God. No man can play God. With what God has done today… what we should do now is to just thank him.
“The meaning of what happened today is that peace has now finally come to our party. The purpose of God for Nigeria in our party will now be fulfilled.
“My problem with Comrade Oshiomhole is that when people started saying that they were Edo Peoples Movement (EPM), I called him and urged him to denounce them.
“I told him to come out and say something. I told him Comrade, denounce them, you are the national chairman; dissociate yourself from these people that are destroying our party. Up till today, he did not.
“The court has taken the right decision today… but it does not make me a happy person because it would not have come to this.
“So, my message today is when a child put his hands in facets, you do not cut off that hand, you take that hand and wash it.
“And for those our members who have been misled, we cannot practice our democracy the way it was in 1983.”
Continuing, the governor said: “Our goal is that before the end of June this year, we must have not less than 500,000 card-carrying members of APC.
“It will be a shame on any leader of our party if we cannot boast of 100 members per unit. And if you do win members for us, you will see what we will do as a party.”
The state chairman of the party, Mr. Aslem Ojezua said Oshiomhiole’s suspension would provide the needed atmosphere for peace in the party in the state.
