By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Following the call by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, and others on the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to resign, the South – South State Chairmen of the party have risen in his defence.
Senator Shuaibu had written Oshiomhole a letter Tuesday asking him to resign honourably for failing to administer the affairs of the party creditably. Shuaibu also hinged his call for Oshiomhole’s resignation on what he described as his apparent lack of capacity and his penchant for undermining prominent leaders of the APC which was evident during the processes leading to the just concluded general election.
However, the South-south state chairmen faulted the action of the senior party official whom they said ought to be well acquainted with the provisions of the party’s constitution regarding how to channel perceived grievances.
In a resolution jointly signed by the six (6) South – South APC State chairmen, the zone passed a vote of confidence on Oshiomhole.
They blamed the electoral loses suffered by the party in some states on landmines created by Oshiomhole’s predecessor whom they said were bent on destroying the party before departing.
The South-south state chairmen wondered why Senator Shuaibu was just realising the issues he raised barely few days after the NWC set up a committee to “look into petitions against highly placed party stakeholders who were glaringly involved in anti-party activities which was responsible for the loss of the number of states mentioned in his letter”.
The chairmen who signed the resolution were; Hon. Ini T. Okopido , (Akwa – Ibom), Hon. Amos Lalabunafa (Bayelsa). Mr. John Ochalla (Cross Rivers).
Others were; Prophet Jones Ode Erue (Delta State), Aslem U. Ojezua (Edo State), and Hon. Ojukaye Flag Amachree (Rivers State)
The State Chairmen who held an emergency meeting in Abuja to consider issues raised by the deputy national chairman said they did not find anything untoward in the stewardship of the party’s national chairman.
“The state Chairmen further disagreed with Senator Lawal Shuaibu’s claims that the actions of the National Chairman was responsible for multiplicity of court cases bedeviling various state chapters of the party rather, they asserted it was the landmines created by his predecessor who was bent on destroying the party before departing that fueled the unfortunate situation and wondered why Senator Lawal Shuaibu is just realising the issues he raised barely few days after the NWC set up a committee to look into petitions against highly placed party stakeholders who were glaringly involved in anti-party activities which was responsible for the loss of the number of states mentioned in his letter vis a – viz the depletion also in the numbers of elected Senators in the just concluded 2019 elections,” it said.
The South-south chairmen who gave Senator Shuaibu 7-day ultimatum to apologise to Oshiomhole also implored him, to “use more civilised ways of expressing whatever private grievance he has against the national chairman instead of playing to the gallery by granting interviews.”
