Many “Sins” of Oshiomhole: Why Some Governors Want Him Out

By Paul Dada

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is  a strong character.   But he will need more than the toughness  of his temperament to survive the relentless moves by some movers and shakers within the party to show him the exit from the exalted office he occupies.

Although many moves have been ostensibly made by some party stalwarts  to make the former labour leader who later led  Edo State for eight years as governor,  they have been largely unsuccessful.

From  deliberations at  the November 21, 2019 National Caucus session to the  debate at the  November 22, 2019 National Executive Committee(NEC) meeting; from the emergency session of  Progressives Governors Forum in Abuja  of the same year to meetings with President Buhari; From his suspension by the party executives of  his ward in Edo State allegedly influenced by his embittered but embattled estranged political godson, Governor Godwin Obaseki to a  sudden application  before a high court  filed by a certain Oluwale Afolabi;/ to a curious invitation signed by Chief Victor Giadom,  Deputy National Secretary of the party to members of the party’s National Executive Committee, to attend an emergency meeting,  Oshiomhole remains unscathed.

However, there is no let-up yet in the schemes to oust the man who loves to dress in khaki.

The  20 state governors under the platform of the party  represent a powerful bloc. And seven of them who include, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi and Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa  are interested in sending him out of office.

Nine of the governors; Babajide Sanwo-Olu( Lagos), Dapo Abiodun( Ogun), Gboyega Oyetola( Osun), Aminu Bello Masari( Katsina), Abdulahi Ganduje( Kano), Babagana Umar Zulum( Borno), Mai Mala Buni( Yobe) and Yahaha Bello( Kogi) and Hope Uzodinma are the sworn backers of the embattled APC National Chairman.

To swell their ranks, the anti-Oshiomhole governors will have to convince their neutral colleagues who are Abubakar Sani Bello( Niger), Abdulahi Sule( Nasarawa), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq( Kwara) and Inuwa Yahahya( Gombe).

But why do these governors alongside some other top shots within the party, want Oshiomhole out? There is surely a  litany of allegations against him.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu And 2023 Factor

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was one of the strongest supporters of Oshiomhole in his bid to become the national chairman after the former chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun had fallen out of  favour with the “gods” that controlled the party. AN24.net understands that Oshiomhole enjoys a good relationship with Tinubu,  and is therefore thought to be interested in paving the way for him to gain the party’s  presidential ticket for the 2023 presidential election. Meanwhile, Nasir el-Rufai who has allegedly told Oshiomhole to reign and Kayode Fayemi, are said to be mooting the idea of gunning for a joint presidential ticket of the party in 2023. So, it would seem, the men think with Oshiomhole out of the way, it would not be a roller coaster ride for Tinubu to grab the ticket.

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Oshiomhole’s Alleged Draconian Leadership Style

One of the allegations against Oshiomhole by those who want him out is that he runs the APC like it was a corporate organisation over which he superintendents.

According to them, Oshiomhole,  by his actions and utterances have emasculated the party organs. He is said to have weakened the party secretariat. He is accused of taking unilateral decisions and not carrying the state governors, being critical stakeholders,  along in some germane actions by him.

He is accused of singularly taking the decision to suspend the Rochas Okorocha, Ibikunle Amosun when they were governors, and Rotimi Akeredolu, who is still a governor, over alleged anti-party activities.

He is accused of “talking too much” thus undermining the function of the National Publicity Secretary

Former National Legal Adviser of the party, Muiz Banire expressed similar thoughts in a recently published article which he authored.

” I recall vividly my days in the National Working Committee of the party; multiple screening committees existed with two levels of appeals, unlike the singular appeal panel that now exists in the party. How would there not be this kind of slips, putting it diplomatically? I give it to Chief John Oyegun and Chief Bisi Akande, the latter of whom I worked with both as chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria and interim chairman of the ruling party during its formative days. In those days, no major decision was ever taken without reference to the national legal adviser. Even when I was out of the country, my opinion would always be sought. I read the writeup of the current national legal adviser sometime ago, about how the office of the national legal adviser had been rendered redundant by the national chairman and decisions were being taken without recourse to him or to the constitution of the party. This is appalling, to say the least. The office of national legal adviser is a professional office constitutionally insulated against the vagaries of politics. It is the party’s own office of the chief law officer from whom legal guidance must always be sought. It is the office of the attorney-general of the party. Law remains law regardless of the political parties or personalities involved. Under the current constitution of the APC, the office of the national legal adviser is an independent office not subservient to the office of the national chairman and meant to be so in the wisdom of the drafters of the party’s constitution,” he said.

Oshiomhole Accused Of Dividing NWC Members

Oshiomhole’s leadership style is alleged not to have unified the members of the National Working Committee. While those who are loyal to him, are allegedly favoured, the others are said to be looked down upon by him.

Lack Of Financial Prudence  And Poor Auditing

The national chairman is accused of disbursing funds without due process. Similar to this is the accusation that he received $55 million bribes in the national primaries of the party for the 2019 general elections.

Bungling Of Party Primaries In Zamfara, Imo and Bayelsa States

Oshiomhole according to those who oppose him,  bungled the governorship primaries in Zamfara, Imo and Bayelsa, which weakened the party in those states. It took the intervention of the Supreme Court for the APC candidate, Hope Uzodinma to become governor in Imo state.

But anti- Oshiomhole governors and other groups within the party insist that the loss of the mandate at Bayelsa courtesy of a Supreme Court verdict would not have happened if the national chairman hadn’t bent the rules to favour Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo becoming the running mate to David Lyon in the governorship election for the state. 

The Fear Of Oshiomhole By  Godwin Obaseki And Rotimi Akeredolu

Both Godwin Obaseki and Rotimi Akeredolu are eyeing the second-term tickets for their states.  They see Oshiomhole as a possible obstacle to achieving their dreams. They ostensibly want him out before the governorship primaries begin in their states.

Obaseki particularly, has for some time not been seeing eye-to-eye with Oshiomhole and has done his utmost to weaken or make the national chairman lose control of the party machinery in Edo State.

Despite the myriad of allegations against Oshiomhole, there are those who would bet that the party has made gains under him. One of those gains is that, the party won more legislative seats in the National Assembly under him.  They also think the man has brought discipline to the party.

Meanwhile, those who want Oshiomhole out may not achieve their objective if they do not get the nod of President Muhammadu Buhari; a nod which they are unlikely to get.