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Tag: Oshiomhole

  • BREAKING: Four ministers, Other South South APC leaders attend Obaseki’s meeting against Oshiomhole

    BREAKING: Four ministers, Other South South APC leaders attend Obaseki’s meeting against Oshiomhole

    The embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was dealt a huge blow on Thursday as top ministers, chieftains of All Progressives Congress (APC), South South region rallied round his political rival, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

    Authoritative reports reaching TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) has it that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN are among the top executives of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet attending a meeting summoned by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to oust the embattled chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    TNG reports that the meeting is just commencing at the Edo State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.

    Among the Prominent APC leaders present include, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, former Edo State governor Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, immediate past Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Safety Administration Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN and Senator Ndoma Egba have all arrived at the Edo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro venue of a meeting called by governor Obaseki.

    Others were former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, Chairman of Edo State chapter of the party, Anselm Ojezua, Senator Domingo Obende, Senator James Akpan Udo-Edehe, and several others.

    Recall that the national vice-chairman, south-south, Prince Hilliard Eta, who is a loyalist of Oshiomhole had earlier directed leaders from the zone not to attend the meeting called by the Edo state governor.

    The APC leader (Eta) said the meeting was illegal because the governor lacked the power to initiate it.

    From this new development, there are insinuations in some quarters that the presence of the aforesaid APC bigwigs stresses that the Obaseki-led faction of APC enjoys a better relationship with the presidency – a feat foretelling the peril Oshiomhole faces in the party today.

    Today, some supporters of the party removed billboards, banners and posters bearing images of the embattled National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, at the National secretariat in Abuja.

    The billboards and banners disappeared overnight from walls and strategic points around and inside the secretariat.

    There was also an indication that Oshiomhole and some of his loyalists will not be present at next Tuesday’s National Executive Council meeting of the party.

    Only a billboard bearing the image of President Muhammadu Buhari was left standing at the national secretariat of the party as at the time of this report.

     

  • Leadership crisis: APC holds emergency NEC meeting Tuesday

    Leadership crisis: APC holds emergency NEC meeting Tuesday

    Amidst rebellion by some members against the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been scheduled to hold in Abuja on Tuesday, March 17 at 3pm.

    The organ of the party last met in November 2019 and skirted the demand by some members of the NEC to suspend Oshiomhole then as chairman, over his alleged dictatorial tendencies and paralysing the party’s organs. The rebels had also blamed Oshiomhole for the party’s losses in Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi and others.

    Venue for the new meeting is the National Executive Committee Hall at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, now under cordon by the police and the DSS, following the crisis over Oshiomhole’s chairmanship.

    A sign of crisis in the party was that the meeting notice was signed by acting National Secretary, Chief Victor T. Giadom and not Architect Waziri Bulama who was named on Wednesday as substantive replacement for Mai Mala Buni, who had moved on to become governor of Yobe State.

    Giadom invited all NEC members to attend the emergency meeting in line with Article 25 (B) (II) of the Constitution of the Party.

    The call came hours after the APC Progressive Governors Forum also called for an emergency meeting of the NEC.

    President Buhari as the national leader of the party had met on Thursday with Oshiomhole and Atiku Bagudu who leads the Progressive Governors Forum.

    The agenda of the NEC which last met in December, is predictably going to centre over Oshiomhole’s position, now being challenged in the court.

    The NEC may also consider the tempest building over the recent appointments of key officers, supposedly approved by a meeting of National Working Committee of the party on 14 January.

    Arch. Waziri Bulama was appointed as the Party’s Acting National Secretary. He replaces Mai Mala Buni, who is now the Governor of Yobe State.

    Former Oyo governor Abiola Ajimobi has also been appointed as deputy national chairman(south). He replaces Adeniyi Adebayo, who is now the minister for industries.

    Mr. Paul Chukwuma is the new National Auditor.

    The appointments were said to have followed nominations from the respective zones, according to a statement by National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu.

    But Ekiti state APC has faulted the appointment of Ajimobi, as the replacement for Adebayo. It wanted Senator Gbenga Aluko to take the position.

    PGF’s Director-General, Salihu Lukman described the Abuja High court injunction against Oshiomhole as a “big opportunity” to reposition the party ahead of the 2023 general election.

    The forum, while acknowledging the existence of the conflicting court orders of the Abuja and Kano federal high courts, called for the appointment of an acting chairman for the APC until the determination of the issue relating to the legality of the suspension of Oshiomhole in court.

    “The reality is that our party APC is faced with a big problem whereby none of our organs are meeting as provided by the constitution. In fact, we are even not sure who our members are. There is, therefore, the urgent need to resume the process of party building with confirmation of our members as well as recruiting new members,” Lukman said in a statement.

    “We need to invoke provisions of Article 17 (vi) which provides that in the event of a vacancy, “the relevant Party organ shall appoint another person to act in his place pending ratification by the National Convention or Congress.”

    The forum claimed that members of the Oshiomhole-led NWC have constituted themselves into an unaccountable assembly in the affairs of the party.

    “Already, this is the second year since the last Convention in 2018 where Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC was elected. What this means is that with or without our current challenges we are actually due for a National Convention,” Lukman said.

    Lukman said once a National Executive Convention (NEC) is convened, there will be an “emergence a new atmosphere in the party that will promote reconciliation and re-orient the party to regain its political profile as a party.”

    Oshiomhole is currently in a legal battle to keep his position.

    Justice Danlemi Senchi of Abuja High Court on Wednesday granted an order of interim injunction restraining Oshiomhole from parading himself as the APC national chairman.

    However, a Federal High Court In Kano on Thursday set aside the ruling of FCT High Court suspending Oshiomhole.

    Justice Lewis Allagoa of Kano High Court ordered the police and Department of State Service (DSS) to provide security for Oshiomhole to resume in his office.

    Oshiomhole had also gone further to file an appeal at the Appeal court.

  • APC crisis: Police IG warns Oshiomhole to distance self from APC secretariat

    APC crisis: Police IG warns Oshiomhole to distance self from APC secretariat

    The crisis surrounding the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday got more entangled as the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, warned the former labour leader against showing up at the party’s national secretariat or moving near any formal function of the party in an official capacity.

    The IGP had given Oshiomhole the stern warning in obeisance to an order of an Abuja High Court, which gave an interlocutory order restraining Oshiomhole from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.

    Though the restricted National Chairman had obtained another order from a Federal High Court in Kano State, which restored him as the APC National Chairman, the party insisted on obeying the first court verdict, since the courts are of coordinate jurisdiction.

    The two courts orders had been a source of confusion as it had divided the National Working Committee and other chieftains of the party. The IGP met with the different factions of the NWC at the Force Headquarters, where he handed down the warning.

    But as the meeting with the IGP was going on, security was beefed up at the National Secretariat of the APC on Blantyre Street in Wuse 2. Saturday Telegraph noticed men of the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Services (DSS) patrolling the area under the directive of the FCT Director of DSS, who was seen with about five men of the Service on motorbike. Speaking with Saturday Telegraph, a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), who preferred anonymity, said the chairman’s fate had “been sealed as he was asked by the IGP not to appear at the party secretariat in official capacity”.

    The NWC member also explained that the Acting National Secretariat, Hon. Victor Giadom, has been asked to oversee the party until the leadership announces an acting National Chairman. “We have just finished the meeting now and the IGP asked Oshiomhole not to come near the party again. Giadom would be overseeing the party pending when the leaders will announce an acting chairman. And it won’t be long that the party would announce an Acting National Chairman.”

    However, some personal staff of Oshiomohle were prevented from gaining access into the party secretariat. The staff, who came with two Toyota Jeep cars were asked to go back from the entrance gate of the party.

    From 7am when staff reported for work till 8pm when they left, the APC National Secretariat that is located on Blantyre Street was kept locked. Only few security men where seen going on and out of the secretariat. Even after the Oshiomhole staff identify themselves, they were still denied access to gain entrance into the secretariat. They were later asked to move away from the gate of the secretariats.

  • Oshiomhole fingers Obaseki, other forces behind plot to unseat him as APC chair

    Oshiomhole fingers Obaseki, other forces behind plot to unseat him as APC chair

    The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has fingered his successor, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, among other forces behind his travails in the ruling party.

    In his first public reaction a day after the FCT High Court suspended him as the chairman of the ruling party, Mr Oshiomhole said he will overcome his ordeal.

    He spoke Thursday to journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock Villa.

    The meeting held shortly after another ruling by Justice Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Kano, affirming Mr Oshiomhole as the chairman of the party.

    Although both are high courts, Mr Oshiomhole said the Abuja court that ordered his suspension lacked jurisdiction since the police and SSS joined in the suit are federal institutions.

    His words, ‘Oshiomhole: You will recall that I was here two days ago to brief Mr. President as I always on matters affecting the party. Just yesterday (Wednesday) morning suddenly I saw in the news that an FCT High Court has suspended me as national chairman. And that the person who went to court includes one of my vice chairmen, north East, one Mustapha (Mustapha Salihu APC National Vice Chairman Northeast) and four others. I was taken back because in the same suit they joined the APC, the police as the DSS.

    ‘Our lawyers told me that in law when you sue a federal agency, FCT High Court has no jurisdiction to entertain it. Number two, the purported suspension of my person by my ward, first it’s not even through and I am going to give you a document to that effect so that you can form your opinion. Number three, I am not an officer of my ward, I am the national chairman of my party, elected at a national convention by over 7,000 delegates, so how could nine persons sit down somewhere and purport that they have removed a national chairman? And the court, contrary to all logic, all judicial precedence, found comfort in granting an interim interlocutory order to stop me from functioning pending when the matter is determined. In other words, he has given the order without the facts being laid before him and in the process adjourned the case to 7th of April.

    “The calculations are clear that between now and April 7th, my opponent in the system would have had ample time to do all the mischievous plans they have in place to destabilise the APC. Because, some of them have membership of more than one political party.

    “But happily this afternoon, a federal high court that I believe that has jurisdiction on federal issues because the DSS, the police are not state institutions but federal institutions, has given an appropriate order to restrain the so-called suspension that was allegedly imposed on me by my ward in Edo State.

    “I thought that I had a duty to brief Mr. President as the overall leader of our party about this development. Incidentally, when I requested for the audience yesterday, I wasn’t sure what has happened today will happen. But I had a duty to inform him about the court order. But happily before coming here, the order from a Federal High Court that has made nonsense of what the FCT court purported to have done has already settled the question.

    ‘And I showed to the president the resolutions of my ward even though a ward executive does not have the powers to remove a national chairman, just to say that the document that we have says clearly that my ward passed vote of confidence on me. How the court can hold a vote of confidence and twist it to mean vote of no confidence, only that judge can explain it to himself. But the good news is that this is not a final court nor is it the only court; incidentally, it is just the court that didn’t have the jurisdiction even to listen to this matter. And our lawyers so pointed it out but the judge was determined to oblige those who want to destabilise the All Progressive Congress.

    “Let me also say that those behind this plot, the hands you saw which includes as you saw yesterday, you saw the Edo State governor and his people jubilating; but that is the irony of life that you will help give birth to a child and the child looks for cutlass to want to chop off your neck. It has happened in history; it has happened in this country so I won’t be the only person. But there are other forces who see me for whatever reason as threat to them. And those leading this anti-Oshiomhole campaign, some of them I emphasise, cannot even boast of a councillor in their states even as they lay claim to leadership position in our party.

    ‘I am proud to say that I have done my best not only when I was a governor, I have done my best as chairman of this party, I have worked not only along members of the party and with support of the good people of Nigeria for the president to be re-elected, for us to have majority in the two chambers of the National Assembly, I also worked hard to deliver my unit, my ward, I worked hard my local government, I worked hard my federal constituency three of them in my senatorial zone, I also worked hard my senator. Those fighting me couldn’t deliver even a councillor of a local government in their unit. And they just feel that if they cannot give me orders then they must do everything to embarrass my person, but I believe that he who God stands with no man born of a woman can bring him down.

    “I can’t say more than that. Those who are parading themselves, holding meetings at night, my prayer to my God is that let them meet at night, what they do at night will be destroyed by light in the day time. I don’t go for night business I do day business. They know themselves, they know me and I know them.”

  • BREAKING: Another court reinstates Oshiomhole as APC Chairman

    A ruling of the FCT High Court suspending the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has been set aside by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Thursday.

    Justice Lewis Allagoa who set aside the ruling also ordered the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Service (DSS) to provide security for Oshiomhole to resume in his office, Channels TV reported.

    Details shortly.

  • I remain APC national chairman despite court order, Oshiomhole boasts, gives reasons

    I remain APC national chairman despite court order, Oshiomhole boasts, gives reasons

    Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has insisted he remains the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), despite the order of an Abuja Federal High Court early Wednesday that he should vacate office.

    Chief Press Secretary to the embattled chairman Simon Ebegbulem while reacting to the court order said Oshiomhole remains the Chairman because APC’s lawyers had filed for a stay of execution of the judgment ordering his removal from office.

    “Our legal department is studying the matter and we have filed for a stay of execution and appealed the ruling.

    “With those processes, Oshiomhole remains the National Chairman of the party,” Ebegbulem said.

  • Obaseki calls for thanksgiving over Oshiomhole’s suspension as APC chair

    Obaseki calls for thanksgiving over Oshiomhole’s suspension as APC chair

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has hailed the ruling of an Abuja High Court which bars Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, from parading himself as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The Governor stated this while addressing party members during the Edo South Senatorial rally of the APC in Benin City, the State capital.

    Obaseki, who has been at daggers drawn with Oshiomhole over the soul of the party in Edo State described the ruling as God’s plan and a right decision for the party which calls for a thanksgiving to celebrate the it.

    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; disassociate yourself from these people that are destroying our party.’ Up till today, he did not.”

    Obaseki, however, said that the decision of the court barring Oshiomhole from parading himself as national chairman of the APC did not make him a happy man.

    “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 puts his hands in faeces, 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,” the Governor said.

  • BREAKING: Court suspends Oshiomhole as APC chairman

    BREAKING: Court suspends Oshiomhole as APC chairman

    A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jabi on Wednesday ordered the suspension of the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, pending the determination of a substantive suit.

    The judge, Danlami Senchi, gave the order following an application of interlocutory injunction asking the court to suspend Mr Oshiomhole, having been suspended as a member of the APC by the party in Edo State.

    The application was filed by an applicant, Oluwale Afolabi.

    While Mr Oshiomhole is the first respondent, the APC is the second respondent.

    Mr Afolabi in his application dated and filed on January 16 had contended that Mr Oshiomhole is currently suspended by the party and has not challenged the suspension.

    According to Mr Afolabi, Mr Oshiomhole’s rights as an APC member is currently abated and he cannot continue to act as chairman of the party.

    He argued that Mr Oshiomhole cannot continue to enjoy benefits from the APC, despite his suspension as a member of the party.

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Damian Dodo, is the lawyer representing Mr Oshiomhole and the APC.

    In his ruling on Wednesday, Justice Senchi held that the first and second respondents wrongfully kept Mr Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party.

    The court also ordered that Mr Oshiomole should stop parading himself as the chairman of the APC.

    He urged the APC to desist from acknowledging him as the chairman of the party

    The court has also given the APC orders not to grant Mr Oshiomhole access to the party secretariat.

  • Its undemocratic for courts to impose rejected candidates on electorates – Oshiomhole

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Tuesday said it was undemocratic for the courts to award electoral victories.

    He said victory should be based on the poll outcome, and where necessary, re-run should be ordered.

    Oshiomhole spoke with State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said the APC would push for an amendment of the Electoral Act.

    Oshiomhole said: “The court should not impose. If the court finds out that the preferred candidate did not win, for me, the only democratic option, the legal option will be to repeat the exercise.

    “Nothing should empower the court to impose a man rejected by the people on the people. That goes to the heart of democracy and it destroys the fabric of our democratic process.

    “So, in amending the Electoral Act, one of the things I’ll like to see the Parliament do, and we are going to make a representation, is that in the unlikely event that the people have voted in good faith for a candidate that was validly put before them by INEC, if anybody has any issue with that one that the people prefer and has won, the court cannot impose the person that was rejected.

    “The very best the court can do is to order that the exercise be repeated because in a democracy, nobody, other than the people, can choose who governs them, not the courts.

    “For me, this is fundamental when it comes to who actually won the election.”

    The APC National Chairman said the Supreme Court’s refusal to reverse its judgment on the Imo State governorship election was “not unexpected”.

    Oshiomhole said: “I think they are just being consistent with the position they took in previous cases.

    “Of course, as a party chairman, APC members and indeed, all democrats and all those who believe in the rule of law, we believe that as imperfect as the Supreme Court can be, they remain supreme.

    “We are happy and we thank God that the whole litigation process has come to an end.”

    Also on Tuesday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC disagreed on the Supreme Court ruling.

    The PDP said the ruling amounted to an endorsement of electoral fraud.

    In a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party praised Justice Chima Nweze for his dissenting opinion.

    PDP said: “Our party abides completely by every word of the judgment of Justice Nweze as treated facts, which are truly sacred.

    “Justice Nweze’s pronouncement, which went straight into the substance of our application, represents a universal view about the travesty of justice that occurred in the Imo State governorship election judgment.

    “It is indeed, unfortunate that the Supreme Court had the wholesome opportunity to redeem itself and correct its errors, but chose to hide behind a technicality to justify and endorse an electoral fraud.

    “What Nigerians expected of the Supreme Court, since the error in its earlier judgment had been fully established, was to summon the courage to affirm its infallibility by correcting the errors and handing over victory to the rightful winner. Sadly, it failed to do so.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, what the Supreme Court had done in this judgment is to uphold and legalise the writing of election results by individual contestants against the will of the people as expressed at the poll.

    “As a party, we hold that on this judgment, all election stakeholders must rally to create remedies for this pathetic situation created by the Supreme Court in the Imo governorship election before our entire electoral process becomes vanquished.”

    But, the APC congratulated Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma on the ruling.

    A statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, reads: “As a law-abiding party, we believe in the sanctity of the rule of law and will always accept the decisions of the apex court, whether favourable or not.

    “The APC will never choose the route of impugning on the integrity of our Judiciary, undermining other public institutions and threatening our democracy with unpatriotic utterances and actions.

    “However, recent developments in the polity have made electoral and judicial reforms a matter of urgency and necessity.

    “These are the tasks before the ninth National Assembly as it embarks on the constitution review exercise.

    “We are confident the Imo people have chosen the right man for the job. Our congratulations, therefore, go to the good people of Imo State as they begin a new journey into prosperity under the capable watch of Governor Uzodinma.”

    Also on Tuesday, Governor Uzodimma hailed the Supreme Court for re-affirming his election.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser, Oguwike Nwachuku, the governor said: “The judgment represents the expectation of the mandate of the people.

    “We give God all the glory that at the end of the day, the truth came out. We commend the wisdom of the Supreme Court in standing by the truth.”

    Uzodimma reiterated his resolve to take the state to the next level.

    He called on all Imo sons and daughters, both at home and abroad, to contribute their quota to the development of the state.

    To his opponents, the governor said: “In this business, you must show the spirit of sportsmanship. It’s not every time you win, it’s not every time you lose.

    “When you win, you carry the losers along; when you lose you follow those that won. My plea to my opponents is to bring their ideas. Let us team up and create a synergy that will develop Imo State and bring succour to our people.”

    “As a lawyer, I commend the noble judges for a sound and legal judgement. It’s a victory for the rule of law.

    “The integrity of the Supreme Court has been upheld by this judgment,” he stated.

  • Just in: Police wade in as anti, pro-Oshiomhole’s faction clash in APC secretariat

    Just in: Police wade in as anti, pro-Oshiomhole’s faction clash in APC secretariat

    The timely intervention of the Police on Thursday prevented what would have been a bloody clash between pro and anti-Oshiomhole protest groups at the national Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Abuja.