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The coalition against terror

The coalition against terror

By Bisi Olominu
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The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Jabi, Abuja last Wednesday ordered an interim suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Delivering a ruling on an application for the interlocutory injunction,  Justice Danlami Senchi said his order would subsist pending the determination of the main suit bordering on his suspension as a member of the party.

Justice Senchi, in his ruling held that the party wrongfully continued to retain Oshiomhole as its national chairman when he was under suspension as a member of the party. He therefore, ordered Oshiomhole to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the party, and directed the party to cease acknowledging him in that regard.

Shortly after the judgement was delivered, 13 pick-up loads of armed policemen arrived at the party secretariat and took positions at the major entry and exist points.

The question is will this gathering storm consumed Oshiomhole? Only time will tell.

Adams Oshiomhole ruled Edo State for eight years as the governor and on June 23, 2018, he emerged as the national chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Nigeria following a voice vote by delegates at the party’s national convention held in Abuja.

Oshiomhole who took over from another Edo man, John Odigie Oyegun has been from one crisis to another since assumption of office as the national chairman of APC. There is roforofo fight between Oyegun and Oshiomole which has factionalised the party in the state. Also there is a ranging superiority between Oshiomhole and his political god-son, Godwin Obaseki, who is the governor of Edo State. The superiority contest reached crescendo on November 12, 2019, when the party Chairman of APC in the state, Anslem Ojezua announced Oshiomhole’s suspension from the party.

The State Chairman, Anslem Ojezua and Assistant State Secretary, Ikuenobe Anthony following the vote of no confidence passed on Oshiomhole by the chairmen of the party in the 18 local government areas of the state pronounced Oshiomhole suspension.

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The statement read in part: “Consequent on the development, the State Executive Committee has adopted the vote of no confidence passed on him and subsisting suspension order from the organs of the party in the state.”

If Oshiomhole is not good in his state, should he not be better outside? The Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman had also accused the national chairman of highedness, nepotism and despotic in ruling the affairs of the party.

Lukman in a statement on November 13, 2019, said that Oshiomhole should either convene the party’s NEC meeting or resign. He blamed the former Edo State Governor for the crisis rocking the party in Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Zamfara and Bayelsa States.

The National Vice Chairman, North East, Salihu Mustapha has expressed support for the court decision. He told journalists that following the court order, Oshiomhole was no more in position to issue any instruction, as doing so will be “illegal, null and void”

Mustapha said ,” Immediately the court injunction was given, the national chairman called the party’s National Publicity Secretary to issue a statement to the press that Wasiri Bulama is the acting National Secretary of the party. I believe you 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 suspended chairman is about to create more chaos within the party as he gave order. The public should know that any decision that Oshiomhole makes henceforth is an illegal decision and will not hold”.

The governor of his state, Godwin Obaseki had also reacted to Oshiomhole’s suspension saying his suspension by the court had shown that no man is God.

Obaseki while addressing a crowd in Benin City immediately the court pronouncement was made said he was not afraid of contesting against anybody, “but they have to do it according to the rules of the game”.

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Also speaking, the Obaseki backed chairman, Anslem Ojezua said it was a great day for the people of Edo State and the party that the Abuja High Court had finally suspended Oshiomhole.

In the words of APC Zamfara State, Oshiomhole’s suspension was highly supported. The party speaking through APC Vice Chairman,  Alhaji Sani Mayanci, ” We are in full support of the court’s verdict against the national chairman of our party, Adams Oshiomhole. We are strongly backing the suspension”.

He added that the suspension of Oshiomhole was a right step in the right direction, considering the crises within the party which were believed to be the handiwork of Oshiomhole.

“He was responsible for all the crises within the party, as such his suspension is a good development”

Reacting also to the suspension, the Deputy Chairman of APC in Ekiti State, Sola Elesin urged Oshiomhole to obey the decision of court which ordered him to step aside.

“The way forward is that Oshiomhole should obey the law court. That is what we call “Obey before complain”. The first thing is for him to abide by the instruction of the court. I support the court order because in a democratic setting,  The court is the last hope.

“Some people have been agitating, even our state, that he should stop using autocratic power. We abhor the type of attitude that he put to party administration  and that was the reasons some people went to court to ask him to step aside”.

An APC stalwart under the condition of anonymity in Ondo State said that with the suspension of the national chairman by the court, the party will soon have cohesion and peace to face the coming election without hitch.

According to him, the comrade and draconian tag of Oshiomhole has not helped the party to maintain its stronghold in Nigeria politics as the National Chairman used divide and rule to cause frictions in many states.

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“Through his action we lost Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi, Oyo and now Bayelsa. We nearly lost Ogun and Ondo and Edo States elections are just around the corner, he is not in good term with Edo State governor and his action has polarised the party in Ondo State. I think this is the high time for APC members in Ondo State to close rank and fight for the dominance of the party and also work for the victory of the party in the coming governorship election.

” When Baba Bisi Akande was the chairman, there was cohesion in the party and he make sure that the party maintained its stronghold in Nigeria. This was further developed by Chief Odigie Oyegun, a good administrator ,manager of men and party politics, through this man APC, an opposition party won the election in Nigeria for the first time. Since Oshiomhole  came in, it has been from one crisis to another, in almost all the states crises have been the order of the day. So his suspension is good for the party and I think the party should make it a permanent one. Let him sacrifice himself for peace to be restored in APC.”

Meanwhile, the ongoing crisis that led to the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole took another twist last Thursday as another Federal High Court in Kano set aside the ruling of the FCT High Court suspending the National Chairman.

In his ruling, Justice Lewis Alagao ordered that the status quo ante Bellum be maintained.

He added that pending the hearing of the motion on notice by the applicant, Aliyu Mohammad Rabiu, that the defendants (The APC, Oshiomhole, IG of Police, INEC AND DGSS) should not give effect to the purported resolution of ward 10, Etsako Local Government which suspended Oshiomhole.

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