Anti-Oshiomhole governors submit position to Buhari

Three All Progressives Congress (APC) governors on Monday presented a position paper on the party crisis to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Governor Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), who met with the President at the Villa, are among those championing the removal from office of party Chairman Adams Oshiomhole.

They were among governors canvassing automatic ticket or right of first refusal for Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, before he left APC for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after he was disqualified from participating in the primary.

Bagudu, the chairman, attempted to present what he termed the collective position of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) on the state of the party during the attempt last year to remove Oshiomhole. But PGF members, led by Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, challenged him.

The governors’ visit followed Sunday’s visit to the President by Dr. Ahmad Lawan, the President of the Senate over the APC crisis.

Bagudu told reporters after yesterday’s Villa meeting that the President supported the convening of meetings by the party organs for the purpose of restoring peace.

He said President Buhari assured that all necessary steps to restore peace and cohesion would be taken.

Bagudu said the President told them that he would not break ranks and force his will on the party leadership.

Bagudu said: “The reason for our visit is to discuss with him as our party leader, as the leader that millions of Nigerians trust, to discuss party issues and the position of the Progressive Governors to support all steps to unify and bring about peaceful resolution in our party, the All Progressives Congress.

“Mr President listened attentively and discussed as a father, as a party leader, and he gave us all the assurance we needed to know that resolution of contentious issues will soon be arrived at.

“I think our party, the All Progressives Congress, is a party that believes in dialogue and contentious issues arise when you are dialoguing. President Buhari attaches sanctity to constitutionalism.

“Mr. President has always said our party is a party of due process and we will do that no matter the challenge of the moment.

He added: “At all times Mr. President has shown that he is a democrat, he is not running the party. Yes, he is the party leader, he allows party organs to do and decide what should be done. He is very hesitant to use his standing as party leader, talk less of his authority as Mr. President of the country to direct things, but at all times, he has been alive to the issue and like I said earlier, I believe with the encouragement he gave us this morning, with the level of details he has about all what is happening and the number of people he has listened to and heard, I believe that whatever needs to be done, including the possibility of calling any organ of the party that is necessary for the resolution of lingering issues, will be done immediately.

“Let me again warn that the party is never a perfect assembly. There will always be issues and that is why we talk, but yes certainly, organs of the party need to meet and Mr. President, without directing, is always supporting the necessity of party organs meeting appropriately.”

Also on Monday, Worgu Boms, a former Rivers State Attorney General was inaugurated as the deputy national secretary to replace sacked Victor Giadom.

Giadom was at the centre of the crisis at the party’s national secretariat where he has been claiming “legal right” to the party’s chairmanship.

His seat declared vacant by the National Working Committee (NWC), which requested the Rivers chapter to nominate a replacement.

National Vice Chairman (Southsouth), Hillard Eta, represented acting National Chairman, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and administered the oath of office on Boms.

Giadom described the action as “laughable, saying “I was elected at the convention. We have told Nigerians that level of impunity and rascality must be corrected.

“You cannot smuggle somebody into the national working committee without an election. Anybody who wants to be a member of the national working committee should present himself for a democratically conducted election.

Giadom said only the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) can resolve the crisis.

In Rivers, there was confusion following a clash by two groups of people from Ikwere Local Government Area where Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, hails from over a purported plot against the minister .

The first group alleged that there was an ongoing scheme by the Senator Magnus Abe-led camp in connivance with Governor Nyesom Wike to suspend and subsequently expel Amaechi from the party.

But, the leader of Amaechi’s team in Ikwere, Chibuike Ikenga, led another group of kinsmen to disassociate themselves and Amaechi from the threat of violence.

Protest at secretariat

Also yesterday, a group of “Concerned APC members” were at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja and asking President Muhammad Buhari and governors to dissolve the NWC.

The placard-carrying people complained that the NWC had failed to manage the fortunes of the party.

Addressing reporters, the leader of the group, Okpokwu Ogenyi, said the party had lost some states to under the present NWC.

He cited the defection of Ondo State deputy governor as a dangerous signal.

“Just yesterday, the deputy governor of Ondo State just left us and joined the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Are we making progress or going backwardness?”, Ogenyi said.  (The Nation)