National Vice Chairman, Northwest of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Mustapha Salihu has backed the order of a Federal Capital Territory FCT High Court which suspended the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday.
Salihu who has been having a running battle with the national chairman over the party’s choice of Arch. Waziri Bulama as National Secretary, told journalists on Wednesday that Oshiomhole was about to create more chaos in the party, alleging that the national chairman wants to foist Bulama on the National Working Committee, NWC as its acting head.
As at the time of filing this report (4 pm), neither Oshiomhole nor his spokesman, Mr Simon Ebegbulem was available for comments, as calls to their known telephone lines went repeatedly unanswered. Also, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu did not answer his calls.
However, reacting to the court order, Comrade Salihu said; “Immediately the court injunction was given, the national chairman called the party’s National Publicity Secretary to issue a statement to the press that Bulama is the Chief Secretary to the Party.
“I believe you people (Journalists) are aware of the meeting held about a month ago on that matter, which ended without a decision. Since then, there has not been a decision as to the replacement of the secretary. The chairman is about to create more chaos within the party as he gave the order.
“The public should know that any decision that Oshiomhole makes henceforth is an illegal decision and will not hold.
“We will keep our fingers crossed until the court decides. I am saying this so that there will not be two national secretaries and there can be no affirmation from a national chairman that has been suspended.”
Asked whether he would accept the choice of Bulama as National Secretary should the party take that position, he said; “the party cannot accept Bulama, who is the party? The person that should hold that position must be the most senior person in the party.”
Should the suspension of Comrade Oshiomhole subsist, the party would be left without a clear head?
To assist the National Chairman, the APC has two Deputy National Chairmen. One for the South and the other for the North. However, both offices are now vacant. While the Deputy National Chairman, South, Otunba Niyi Adebayo had since been appointed as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Deputy National Chairman, North, Sen. Lawali Shuaibu is on indefinite suspension.
The party scribe, Mr Bulama is still having a running battle with his own zonal Chairman, that is, the National Vice Chairman, Northeast Zone, Comrade Salihu Mustapha.
The National Vice Chairman, Northwest, Barr. Inuwa Abdulkadir is also on indefinite suspension while the National Auditor, Mr George Moghalu had since been appointed as the Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority NIWA.