Ajimobi named to act; Giadom declares self, 16 NWC members opt for Eta
…Giadom voids Obaseki’s disqualification; NWC declares him persona non grata
…Edo speaker undecided on defection; Obazee steps down for Ize-Iyamu
…NWC appoints Gov Uzodinma Edo primary election chairman
…Obaseki meets Secondus, PDP govs
THE
leadership crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC,
yesterday, took a melodramatic twist as three persons, within three
hours, laid claim to national chairmanship of the party, in an acting
capacity.
This happened few hours after the Court of Appeal
upheld the lower court’s ruling suspending Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as
APC national chairman on Tuesday.
The three acting chairmen are
Deputy National Chairman, South, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Deputy
National Secretary of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, and National Vice
Chairman, South-South, Ntufam Hilliard Eta. As expected, emergence of
the three acting chairmen, who all started by issuing conflicting
orders, could hurt the party’s June 22 governorship primaries in Edo as
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, gave
parties no more than 10 days to conduct their primaries in Edo.
Obaseki meets Secondus, PDP govs
There were speculations yesterday that Obaseki is hesitant about reversing his resignation from the APC.
However,
Obaseki, who said in his twitter handle that he had not defected to any
party, met with PDP leaders and governors to firm-up his move into the
opposition party. The high-wire parley was ongong at press time.
Ajimobi first emerged acting chairman
Relying
on Section 14(2)(iii) of the APC Constitution 2014 (as amended) the
National Working Committee, NWC, had named Ajimobi as acting national
chairman on Tuesday night but it was not until Wednesday morning that a
statement credited to him emerged, indicating that he had assumed office
by that morning.
Section 14(2) of the APC Constitution (2014 as
amended) stipulates the duties of a Deputy National Chairman of the
party, among which is to assist the National Chairman in the discharge
of his duties.
In Section 14(2)(iii), the constitution states
that the “Deputy National Chairman shall act as the National Chairman in
the absence of the National Chairman from his zone.”
On
Wednesday morning, Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, to the
former Oyo State Governor, Bolaji Tunji, said his principal had assumed
the reins of leadership following the order of the Court of Appeal
affirming Oshiomhole’s suspension.
Giadom declares self acting chair, voids Obaseki’s disqualification
Barely
an hour later, Deputy National Secretary of the party, Chief Victor
Giadom, announced a take-over of party affairs, declaring as invalid all
processes which led to the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki
from the June 22 APC primary election in Edo State.
Giadom, who
arrived the secretariat at about 10am with a retinue of security aides,
premised his action on Tuesday’s judgement of the Court of Appeal.
He
was flanked by Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the party,
Muhammad Sani Ibrahim, a non-member of the NWC, who has been seeking to
oust the National Organizing Secretary, Emma Ibediro.
Security
agents had earlier taken charge of the secretariat gate, screening
staff, journalists and visitors going into the premises. Hours later,
security was relaxed following announcement of Hilliard Eta by the NWC.
Giadom
said: “Consequently, I bring to your notice that on the 16th of March
2020, Hon. Justice S.U. Bature in suit no FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 had ordered
that, with the earlier suspension of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, I,
Chief Victor Giadom should act as National Chairman of our great party.
That order could not be immediately effected at that time because of
the temporary reprieve Adams Oshiomhole got from the Court of Appeal on
the same date.
However, having removed the temporary reprieve
yesterday by the Court of Appeal, considering the fact that we cannot
allow for a vacuum, I most humbly inform you that I have assumed office
as Acting National Chairman of our great party in compliance with the
order of the court.
“I, therefore, most humbly solicit the
support of the entire leadership and members of our great party in
achieving this very important responsibility. I want to assure all party
members that the All Progressives Congress will obey court
orders/judgements so as to bring sanity to our great party. Time for
selective compliance with court orders and judgements is over.
“Our
party, the All Progressives Congress, will no longer allow local quests
for the control of power to influence our decisions. As your Acting
National Chairman and presiding officer in the NWC, we therefore cancel
the decision of the Screening and Appeal Committees of the former
chairman of the party on the Edo primaries. This is in strict compliance
with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria that forbids anyone who is interested in a cause to be a judge
in that same cause.
Asks aspirants to report for fresh screening
“It
is a brazen rape on the rule of law and the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria for the former chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole,
to preside and select committees in respect to the Governorship
primaries in Edo State, being a key player in the crisis in that state.
“Whatever
role the former chairman was given to play in that process by the APC
Constitution, it cannot override the provisions of the Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria which governs all of us.
“We,
therefore, ask all aspirants in the Governorship primaries to report for
fresh screening between today and tomorrow. I call on all aspirants to
remain in the All Progressives Congress as we guarantee fairness and
justice to all concerned. The schedule and time for each aspirant shall
be communicated.
“In addition to the above, the Deputy Organising
Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, Hon. Muhammad Sani Ibrahim,
shall immediately resume office as the Acting National Organizing
Secretary, in compliance with the judgement of the Federal High Court in
suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/733/2018, which removed the former National
Organising Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Ibediro, since 24th of September 2018.
This is to ensure strict compliance with the rule of law,” he said.
NWC backs Hilliard Eta
Moments
later and using the same meeting hall of the National Executive
Committee, NEC, 16 of the 21 members of the NWC announced the National
Vice Chairman, South-South, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, as acting national
chairman.
With Oshiomhole out of the equation, the party is
supposed to now have 20 NWC members, but the Hilliard Eta tendency has
now declared Chief Giadom a persona non grata in the NWC.
The NWC
said it met yesterday morning to take the decision, asking Eta to act
on behalf of Senator Ajimobi, who is reportedly indisposed.
Those
who signed the statement were the National Secretary, Arc. Waziri
Bulama; Hilliard Eta, the National Vice-Chairman, South-East, Hon. Emma
Eneukwu; National Vice-Chairman, South-West, Pastor Bankole Oluwajana;
National Vice-Chairman, North-West, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir; National
Vice-Chairman, North Central, Alhaji Suleiman Umar Wambai; National
Organizing Secretary, Barr. Emma Ibediro, and the National Legal
Adviser, Babatunde John Kwame Ogala.
Others were the National
Welfare Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Kabir Masari; National Treasurer,
Alhaji Adamu Fanda; National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre
Issa-Onilu; National Financial Secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello;
National Auditor, Paul Chukwuma; National Women Leader, Hajia Salamatu
Baiwa Umar-Eluma; National Youth Leader, Alhaji Sadiq Abubakar and
National Disabled Leader, Misbahu Lawan Didi.
According to Eta,
the NWC reaffirms Senator Ajimobi as acting national chairman of the
party, but that in his absence, the NWC resolved that he (Eta) should
pilot affairs of the party.
Giadom’s seat declared vacant
The
Eta-led NWC also declared as vacant the office of the Deputy National
Secretary of the party, because Chief Victor Giadom had resigned to
participate in the 2019 general elections as running mate to the party’s
governorship candidate in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole.
Article
31(1)(iii) of the APC Constitution (2014 as amended) stipulates: “Any
party office holder interested in contesting for an elective office
(whether party office or office in a general election) shall resign and
leave office 30 days prior to the date of nomination or party primary
for the office he or she is seeking to contest.”
Eta said as the
zonal chairman of the party in South-South, he is not aware that the
Zonal Executive Committee, ZEC, had at any time met and re-presented
Giadom as their candidate for the office of Deputy National Secretary.
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