The Intrigues
Ahead of the governorship primaries in Edo State, Governor Obaseki had scaled up the war between him and his erstwhile godfather Oshiomhole, quite sure that the national chairman would hold back his anointing oil this time around. The scenario had made the Edo governor a key arrowhead in the dethrone Oshiomhole project.
Going forward, the ruling party has been engulfed in crisis after a court ruling ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party pending the determination of suits filed against him. The court gave the order following an application by a member of the party that the national chairman had been suspended by the APC in his home state of Edo.
Oshiomhole is appealing the suspension as well as the attendant decision to deny him access to the party’s national secretariat. Last week, the assistant national secretary of the party, Victor Gaidom, circulated a statement announcing a NEC meeting on March 17.
But a counter-statement issued by some top officials of the APC enjoined party members to ignore Gaidom saying his action fell outside the party’s constitution and jurisdiction. The statement was jointly signed by Lanre Issa-Onilu, the party spokesperson; Babatunde Ogala, the national legal adviser; and Bulama.
Gaidom, however, continued to insist he is the next in line in the party hierarchy following Oshiomhole’s suspension and the absence of a substantive national secretary. The party’s former national secretary is now the governor of Yobe State.
Mid last week, a high court in Abuja restrained party members – specifically Messrs Issa-Onilu, Ogala, and Bulama – from disrupting next Tuesday’s NEC meeting. The application was filed by Mustapha Salihu, the North-East zonal vice-chairman of the APC.
In his counter application, which is designed to effectively oppose the Abuja court ruling, the Lagos State APC chairman prayed the court to compel the party to recognise Bulama as the acting National Secretary, Ajimobi as the acting National Deputy Chairman (South), and Chukwuma as the acting National Auditor of the party. He said the trio were nominated by their geo-political zones after the offices became vacant and were zoned to the North-East, South-West, and South-East