Who’s Afraid of Oshiomhole?

In a familiar power-grab project, some imperious governors, ministers and operatives of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have contrived a stalemate to attempt dethronement of the party’s tough national chairman Adams Oshiomhole whose stern insis

In a season of partisan frenzy, with many red-eyed politicians focused on various power-grab intrigues often dressed up as patriotic ventures, discipline, party supremacy and rule-governed processes become threatened. Against this background, it is a given that the position of national chairman of a political party carries considerable weight, especially in charting the course of informed engagement with the critical elements in a democratic mix. That the inherent power of that office, its responsibility and authority have been watered down and often caged by forces out of sync with transformative politics doesn’t mean the occupant must jettison plucky, principled and disciplined conduct.

With principle, pluck and discipline as watchwords, former governor of Edo State and current embattled chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has thus far guided the party in power. What’s more, this significantly evokes the days of Chief Adisa Akinloye, national chairman of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, of the Second Republic. But this scenario has a flip side.

The tough-guy image of former governor of Edo State and national chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) Oshiomhole’s evolved over decades of challenging trade unionism and often bruising engagements with recalcitrant governments - both military and democratic.

This unwittingly feeds a perception that Oshiomhole, now a mainstream national politician is a fellow to be wary of. When this scenario interfaces a milieu where national interest often comes a poor second to personal and sectional imperatives, both the messenger and his message become objects of suspicion and fear - for friends and foes alike. This arguably sums up Oshiomhole’s apparent public relations quandary.

It could be recalled that on June 23 2018, amidst considerable internal dissonance and palpable party governance deficits that hobbled the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, former Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was elected national chairman at the party’s national convention, to rein in unseemly dissidence and provide a new trajectory.

Perhaps not surprisingly, less than two years after he formally took the baton of leadership of APC from Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and successfully guided the party to victory, his approach to leadership came under serious scrutiny, especially because of what some pundits see as a belligerent style he allegedly adopted. But interestingly, much of this scrutiny is skewed and ungoverned by good faith. respectively.

According to Balogun, the nomination of Bulama was ratified at the meeting of the APC National Working Committee held on January 14, 2020, while those of Messrs Ajimobi and Chukwuma were ratified at the NWC meeting of March 4, 2020.

“By virtue of the ratification stated above, the nominees have become members of the National Executive Council and are entitled by the constitution of the defendant (APC) to work and operate in acting capacities in their respective offices pending their swearing-in at the National Convention of the party,” he said.

“In spite of the foregoing, the defendant (APC), acting through its officials and officers, particularly, the Deputy National Secretary, has not allowed the nominees to perform their duties as members of the National Executive Council.”

He argued that the party’s NEC could not effectively operate unless Messrs Bulama, Ajimobi, and Chukwuma were allowed to perform their duties and prayed the court to compel the APC to recognise them.

After listening to the applicant’s lawyer, Justice Liman granted the prayers and adjourned till March 25, 2020, for further hearing.