Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The handwriting of uncertainty over the future of the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is becoming bolder and clearer by the day as successive events unfold.
Litigations, unending hostilities, persistent protests, continued occupation of the ruling party’s national secretariat by the security agents, apparent crack and division in the party’s national leadership among many others are clear indicators that the world may literally be crumbling irredeemably on the head of the former national Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC).
In desperation, he had run to man and God for help and cover with little or no success. Armed with what his fellow National Working Committee (NWC) members described as ‘Jankara’ court order from Kano State vacating the suspension clamped on him, he had stormed the State House Abuja, perhaps for administrative cover and assurances from President Muhammadu Buhari.
Shocking was his response to newsmen who enquired about his travails after his visit to President Buhari. He did not only lamentably hinge his woes on a serving Minister and governors, he announced disappointingly that he could not confirm the support of Mr President through his body language.
The intensity of the heat on him was much that he feared waiting for the hearing of the stay of execution he filed at the Appeal Court in Abuja. As a desperate go getter, he did not bother himself going to the nearby states of Niger, Nasarawa or Kogi to obtain an order to vacate his suspension but at another High Court with coordinate or lateral jurisdiction with the Abuja court.
However, his hurry seems to have met brick walls with the volume of security agents deployed on daily basis to secure the national secretariat of the party almost turning into a battleground.
It became shockingly bad that his aides, staff, journalists deployed to report the party and the visitors were blacked out and totally denied access into the secretariat under lock and key since last week.
His recent travail came last week after an FCT High Court ordered him to stop parading himself as the National Chairman of the ruling party. The court had, in the ruling by Justice Danlami Senchi, directed that he stays out of office pending the determination of a substantive suit brought against him by some aggrieved members of the party, fixing the hearing for April 7 next month.
The judgement was a fallout of the application of interlocutory injunction filed by six plaintiffs, led by the National Vice Chairman, North East, Mustapha Salihu, through their lawyer, Oluwole Afolabi. They had among other things, prayed the court to oust Oshiomhole from office, alleging that he was previously suspended as a member of the party from his Etsako ward 10, Edo State.
The plaintiffs had contended that it would be legally wrong for Oshiomhole to continue to enjoy the benefits of his position as the APC boss in view of his suspension as a member of the party.
Expectedly, the court judgement, which may not have come as a surprise to many political watchers following the intense pressure to unseat the former Edo governor from his exalted position, was the climax of the persistent one week protests at the national secretariat of the party demanding his resignation.
The actions and inactions of the stakeholders of the party shortly after the court suspension and vacation was an obvious confirmation of the fact that the plot to remove Oshiomhole may have become irreversible. More and more aggrieved persons and party chieftains queuing in to shorten his days in office have continued to stretch to an unimaginable height.
From the secretariat staff celebrating his court suspension, the sabotage from his hitherto loyal national leadership members, the indirect attacks from the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) to other sundry stakeholders, the signals are indicative enough that the future of the loquacious former Labour leader seems to be crashing like unpacked cards.
Predictably, members of staff had gone into a frenzy mood, celebrating wildly immediately the news of his suspension spilled into the party secretariat. For them, at last, the exit of their ‘victimiser’ may at least bring succour to their already despondent fortune.
Pockets of them discussed in hush tones and rejoiced. Their posture was understandable. Having hitherto complained endlessly to what they termed his highhandedness, they desired that he eats the humble pie honourably instead of dissipating energy seeking further legal redress.
They claimed that the ruling party had suffered serious setbacks due to the Oshiomhole-fuelled spate of crises that have rocked the party since his assumption of office.
“We cannot wait to see him leave this office. He has been too insensitive to the welfare and wellbeing of the staff. He has tried his best and has shown that he is not a crisis manager. He has done his best and should allow another person to take over and move the party forward,” they quipped.
To further confirm the damage the Oshiomhole-must-go clamour has caused the party and the gulf it has created among the national leadership of the party, the NWC has been stripped into two from head to bottom and have not only continued to operate as a factional entity but also continued to plot each other’s downfall.
While the loyal members operate at Oshiomhole’s private office as strategic nest, the disloyal members seem to have hijacked the party secretariat where they have plotted on how to nail the coffin of their chairman.
Marching words with actions, the disloyal NWC members had reinforced security deployment to dislodge the overzealous security details attached to the embattled APC National Chairman.
Despite the heavy security presence that have turned the secretariat into a battleground with deployment of several Hilux Patrol vehicles, the disloyal NWC members held several meetings resulting in the announcement through the party’s Acting National Secretary, Victor Giadom that the party will obey the court order suspending Oshiomhole.
“As a party we are aware of the injunction. As a law abiding party we will respect all lawful court orders. There is a court injunction and it is binding on us as a party to respect all court injunctions. Very soon the NWC will roll out the roadmap for the party,” he said.
Accelerating ahead of the Oshiomhole-led NWC, the other faction had gone ahead to fix an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for next week, March 17 at the secretariat of the party.
The notice of meeting issued by the Acting National Secretary, Giadom, read: “In line with Article 25 (B) (II) of the Constitution of our great party, members of the APC NEC are invited to attend an emergency meeting scheduled to hold Tuesday March 17, 2020 at the NEC Hall, National Secretariat.”
Fighting back immediately to the notice of emergency NEC meeting, a counter statement signed by the trio of National Legal Adviser, Babatunde Ogala Esq, National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu and the newly admitted National Secretary, Waziri Bulama dismissed the meeting notice.
Titled ‘Re: purported notice of emergency NEC’, the statement read: “The attention of the NWC of the APC has been drawn to a purported invitation to an emergency NEC meeting of our great party slated for Tuesday, March 17, 2020, which invitation is credited to the Deputy National Secretary of the party, Victor Giadom.
“The party’s constitution provides that a NEC meeting shall be convoked as follows: Article 25 (B) (i) and (ii) i. The NEC shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-third of the members of the NEC Committee provided that not less than 14-day notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.
“Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution, the NWC may summon an emergency NEC meeting at any time, provided that at least seven days notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend.
“Neither the National Chairman nor the resolution of two thirds of members of the NEC has directed nor made any request to summon a NEC meeting of the party. The said Victor Giadom is not vested with any Constitutional Powers to convene any meeting of the NEC. Neither has he been so directed by the National Chairman.
“The NWC therefore disassociates itself from the said illegal and unauthorized notice of meeting of the NEC. Members of the NEC and the totality of the members of our great party are therefore requested to ignore the said notice and/or invitation as a product of mischief that should not be given any probative value.
“The NWC shall continue to protect our Constitution and convene its meetings and the NEC meetings in accordance with the provisions of the party Constitution,” the statement read, setting tone for a fresh battle.
As a resolute fighter that never surrenders, Oshiomhole had not only horridly secured a restraining order vacating his suspension but has also controversially authorised issuing a statement to announce the confirmation of the appointment of three national officers, backdating the decision to January 14.
Oshiomhole in the statement issued by the party’s spokesperson, Issa-Onilu, noted: “The NWC of the APC has approved the nomination of Arch. Waziri Bulama as the party’s Acting National Secretary.
“The decision was reached on January 14, 2020 during the meeting of the NWC at the party’s National Secretariat. Following the resignation of Mai Mala Buni as the party’s National Secretary in May 2019 prior to his election as the governor of Yobe State, the party subsequently gave notice for a replacement from the zone.
“The NWC has also approved the nominations of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman (South) and Paul Chukwuma as the National Auditor following nominations from the respective zones,” the statement read.
The unanswered question is how long can Oshiomhole continue to fight especially under a politically tensed atmosphere disrupting many activities within the party.
And faulting the Kano State High Court order and appointment, APC National Vice Chairman North East, Mustapha, had, as part of the dirty fight, expressed reservation over the alleged order vacating the suspension clamped on him.
“First of all, I want to be very brief because the case is in court and I am the plaintiff. So, it would be subjudice for me. But, I want to say from my knowledge of law that two courts of coordinate jurisdiction cannot sit on appeal on an order or judgement given by each other.
“A Federal High Court cannot sit on appeal on FCT High Court. The only court that has the jurisdiction to sit on an appeal is the Court of Appeal in this case and the court order of the FCT High Court was served just a day after.
“Most of you have the copy of the order and it is an elementary law that first in time prevails. That of Abuja High Court came earlier and we seek for interlocutory injunction and there is affidavit of urgency which seeks to prevent certain kinds of mischief which we prayed that the court should help prevent and which they did.
“So, if you look at the main reason that interlocutory injunction is granted, I don’t think that a Federal High Court of the same jurisdiction will now set it aside. We don’t need the knowledge of law to know that a high court cannot sit on a matter of appeal on High Court. I don’t want to say much about the order, but I want to say that it is only the Court of Appeal that can vacate this injunction,” he insisted.
Not done with their threat to wrest the control of the party machinery from the Oshiomhole’s stronghold, the disloyal members vowed to investigate and institute legal action against anybody behind the statement issued by the factional NWC admitting the three persons into national leadership.
“The statement was laughable because it is very pathetic and disturbing to see an announcement purporting that we approved nominations of three officers on January 14. One of these officers which is the Deputy National Chairman South, the nomination from his state came to the national vice chairman on February 28, almost 40 days after the date of the purported meeting.
“The meeting we held on January 14, I came out to announce the stoppage because they were trying to do illegality on the National Secretary’s replacement, the matter of the other people was referred to their zone, nobody discussed it at the meeting.
“But seeing that he has been suspended, Oshiomhole now has to bring out that information, I don’t think it is a civil matter, I think our lawyers are looking at it because it is a criminal matter. I am a NWC member and I was not in the meeting where the decision to admit these persons as NWC members was taken. Where is the minutes of the meeting, where was it held? And how did we approve a nomination that is yet to come, we are not running a banana republic,” he frowned.
With the projectiles hauled at Oshiomhole, it may be easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle than for him to survive this onslaught. To admit confusion over President Buhari’s body language looks like sign of surrender. To name that Ministers and Governors that are behind his travail and boast that removing him requires the endorsement of the over 7000 delegates that voted for him at the last National Convention, were indicators of the uncertainty of his future.
Scotching his argument that the suspension by his ward was insignificant enough to remove him, the Director General APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh Lukman, accused him of evading to apply, on himself, the measure he used on others.
Accusing him of being tyrannical and despotic in the disciplinary sanctions he meted against chieftains of the party, he queried rhetorically why Oshiomhole should endorse the sanction meted to the National Vice Chairman (North West), Inuwa Abdulkadir who was also suspended by his ward; why not accept his fate.
Apparently, reacting to Oshiomhole’s statement that his ward lacks the power to remove him since he was elected by 7000 party members at a National Convention, Lukman queried his rationale in endorsing the suspension.
He suggested that pending the outcome of NEC’s final decision to appoint an acting chairman, it is obvious that the previous suspensions endorsed by the Oshiomhole-led NWC are not rule-based but on impulse.
“Article 13.4(i-xvii) provides for the powers of the NWC. Nowhere in those provisions were disciplinary responsibility given to the NWC. The reality is that all decisions about suspending Deputy National Chairman (North) Lawal Shuaibu and the three governors were taken by the NWC.
“In the case of Abdulkadir, it was taken by his ward and transmitted to the NWC. Upon receipt of that decision, the NWC was expected to invite the NEC to set up the fact-finding committee. It is very difficult not to conclude that by its actions, the Oshiomhole-led NWC arbitrarily handled issues of discipline.
“Somehow, all these so-called cases of suspension and the speed with which the Oshiomhole-led NWC acted on them further demonstrate the intolerant disposition of the APC NWC under Oshiomhole.
Insisting that Oshiomhole stands suspended, the PGF DG, said: “This brings us to the suspension of Oshiomhole by his ward. In every respect, Oshiomhole’s case is similar to that of Abdulkadir. Since November 2, 2019, the ward executive of Ward 10, Etsako West LGA of Edo State announced the suspension of Oshiomhole, interestingly for alleged anti-party activities similar to the charges against Abdulkadir.
“The decision was transmitted to the NWC and instead of applying the provision of Article 21(B)(ii) of the APC constitution to set up a fact-finding committee, or even endorsed the suspension given the precedence they have set in the case of Abdulkadir, the NWC rejected the decision of the ward executive to suspend Oshiomhole.
“What makes the case of Oshiomhole different? To worsen the matter, Oshiomhole himself kept making the argument that he is not an officer of his ward. Is Abdulkadir an officer of his ward? Oshiomhole argued that he was elected by over 7,000 delegates at a National Convention as such only the National Convention can remove him. Who elected Abdulkadir? Was it his ward?” he asked.
Again, events in the recent past, many insist, does not show that Oshiomhole would survive the plot and land mine laid for him. Almost throughout last week, regular and deployed security agents on rescue operation had hectic time curtailing possible total breakdown of law and order from the pro and anti-Oshiomhole protesters that turned the secretariat into a battlefield.
Blaming Oshiomhole’s decision on FCT APC, being responsible for President Muhammadu Buhari losing election in the FCT, the leader of the anti-Oshiomhole protesters, Yinusa Ahmadu Yusuf, had threatened to continuously occupy the secretariat until he leaves.
“A year ago, I had barricaded this gate in protest. The purpose was to tell the whole world the ways and manner Oshiomhole has been conducting the activities in the APC. This is just the beginning of it but we are capitalising on what we have said about a year ago.
“Before the election, Oshiomhole had gone to all states and interfered with state party’s affairs including the FCT. Due to Oshiomhole’s activities and interference with the FCT party’s affairs, President Buhari lost election in FCT. Under his leadership, he has disunited and disorganised the party.
“Today, Nigerians, particularly stakeholders are calling that Oshiomhole who was bestowed with the leadership of this party has now presented himself as an agent of destruction and therefore we will no longer tolerate it. Oshiomhole, through his body language and behaviour, has shown immaturity and inability to lead; therefore he deserves not to be our leader from now henceforth.
“We are making it very clear to the Caucus and stakeholders of our party that failure to sack Oshiomhole, we will leave the party in droves for them. Oshiomhole must go because he has proven to be incompetent and lack ability to manage stakeholders. He has proven to lack the ability to bring peace and harmony to the party. He has showed that he has zero tolerance for accountability. Therefore, President must ask Oshiomhole to either resign or he is removed,” the protesters insisted.
Apparently swimming against the tide in all facets, what has continued to baffle stakeholders is that Oshiomhole has waged war from all fronts. Under him, the forum of the state party chairmen has become a house divided against itself with loyal and disloyal members at daggers-drawn.
Under his watch, the forum of APC governors has carried on its activities as a sharply divided body in a cold war manner. Under his watch, the party is clearly in endless crises from the grassroots to the national level and under him too, the occupation of the party secretariat has become a permanent feature. Also, the cracks in the party have continued to widen without any hope of even papering them.
More disturbing was the graveyard silence of the presidency over the recurring clamour to remove Oshiomhole. The gladiators have continued to wage battle against one another in a survival of the fittest fashion. The former Edo governor may still be clutching on any object as a drowning man to retain his position, but interpreting the right body language of Mr President concerning his future can calm the ragging storm.
Essentially, with the rift against the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, still claiming casualties, it remains to be seen how Oshiomhole, who may have survived this recent legal scare, will wriggle out of this latest targeted onslaught threatening to consume him.
With many already jostling to occupy his position, with the secretariat still under lock and key, and with the pressure mounting and making it impossible for him to resume today, Oshiomhole’s future as APC national chairman really remains in the womb of time.