An FCT High Court in Jabi, Abuja has suspended Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Justice Danlami Senchi, on Wednesday, ordered Oshiomhole to step down pending the determination of the substantive suit seeking his perpetual removal as the APC chairman. There have been calls from sections of the APC for Oshiomhole to resign and he was suspended by the Edo State chapter of the party last November.
Oshiomhole’s suspension by party
Oshiomhole was suspended last November by the Edo State chapter of the APC over his alleged role in the crisis rocking the party in the state. The decision, according to a statement signed by the State Chairman, Aslem Ojezua, and Assistant State Secretary, Ikuenobe Anthony, followed the vote of no confidence passed on Comrade Oshiomhole by the chairmen of the APC in the 18 local government areas of the state.
The statement read in part: “Consequent on the development, the State Executive Committee has adopted the vote of no confidence passed on him and the subsisting suspension order from the organs of the party in the state.” It said the decision was necessary to prevent a repeat of what happened in Zamfara State, where the party was unable to field any candidate in elections
In January, The APC National Vice Chairman for North East, Comrade Mustapha Salihu, said Oshiomhole was not fit to be called the National Chairman, following his suspension by the party’s chapter in Edo state. Comrade Salihu, while briefing journalists after a contentious meeting of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), said, “I am here just to give you a brief of what transpired just now; the illegality that just transpired now. This has been prevalent in this party since Adams Oshiomhole took over.
“We also want to follow up with the suspension of the National Chairman, to know the status, whether or not, as we speak, he is fit to be a National Chairman or whether that court order is still subsisting which before the end of today, I will let you know. I will find out if there is any court order that vacates it. “If there is no court that vacates it, I will produce the subsisting court order for you for publication and will write to INEC, the DSS, he should not be recognized as the National Chairman.”
Oshiomhole’s justification
Oshiomhole is insisting his accomplishments since assuming the mantle of leadership in 2018 did not deserve the call for his resignation.
Oshiomhole who spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on January 2 shortly after presenting a card to celebrate the 2020 New Year to President Muhammadu Buhari. The former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) wondered why some people would demand his resignation in spite of the electoral successes recorded before and after the 2019 general elections. He said the National Working Committee (NWC) under his leadership reclaimed Ekiti State and retained Osun State before the 2019 general elections.
Oshiomhole said President Buhari also garnered more votes to defeat his challenger in the 2019 presidential election than in 2015, stressing that “we would like to claim credit for that because if it went the other way, we would be crucified.”
