The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Adams Oshiomhole allegedly got into a shouting match with the APC National Vice-Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, during the party’s National Working Committee meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
Our correspondent, who was at the National Secretariat of the party, heard some people at the meeting making a lot of noise, with some banging tables.
Salihu, who stormed out of the meeting, later confirmed that he clashed with Oshiomhole.
He said the noise was over the ex-Edo governor’s alleged attempt to impose a former member of the presidential campaign council, Waziri Bulama, as National Secretary of the party.
According to him, the decision did not follow due process and endorsement of the Zonal Executive Committee.
The position became vacant after Mai Mala Buni resigned his appointment to contest last year’s Yobe State governorship poll, which he won.
Salihu insisted that Oshiomhole had ceased to be the national chairman of the party because of a court order upholding his suspension by his Iyamho ward in Edo State.
He said, “Unless I see the reversal of the court order suspending Oshiomhole as the APC National Chairman, I won’t allow him to sit here as the national chairman.”
Salihu accused Oshiomhole of name-dropping whenever he wanted to have his way.
He said, “This is an illegality, the party has set a precedent. When Babachir Lawal left to become the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, I replaced him from Adamawa. When Alhaji Lai Mohammed left his post as the National Publicity Secretary to the party to become a minister, Bolaji Abdullahi from Kwara replaced him.
“He (Oshiomhole) keeps dropping names whenever he wants to perpetuate illegality. He doesn’t have the right to call for nomination.”
But the National Legal Adviser of the party, Babatunde Ogala, said he was not aware of any order validating Oshiomhole’s suspension.
Explaining how Bulama emerged, Ogala told journalists that he was the one who moved the motion at the meeting for his appointment as acting National Secretary pending the party’s convention.
He also denied knowledge of any shouting match at the meeting.
Salihu warned that the process leading to Bulama’s emergence could land the party in court.
He said, “Yesterday (Monday) we held our zonal meeting and we agreed on how to go about the position of National Secretary.