Oshiomhole Must Go, Says APC Group

Oshiomhole Must Go, Says APC Group

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

An All Progressives Congress (APC) advocacy group under the aegis of Rivers Unity House (RUH) Saturday threw its weight behind calls for the resignation of the APC National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.

The Convener of the group, Mr. Kingsley Wali made the call at a news conference in Port Harcourt, alleging that Oshiomhole was responsible for 96 per cent of the challenges faced the ruling party in the 2019 general election.

Wali said, “It is a natural thing in politics that whenever there are loses, people have to be held accountable for those loses. There is need to identify the people who made it possible for the party to suffer any kind of loss.”

“Just like if the party enjoys a decent measure of victory, it will obviously point out those who made it possible and then, compensate them for making it possible.”

On the note, the convener noted that those who are responsible for the body-blows APC received should be identified and made accountable so it discourages this kind of attitude.

He said, “I am one person who has been consistent with the position that Oshiomhole is 96 per cent responsible for the problems APC had. It boils down to nothing but somebody feeling that he knows everything and no other person is smarter than him.

“I think the reasonable thing to do is for APC as a party to ask Adams Oshiomhole to vacate the seat. If we insist on understanding or characterizing the next level slogan of APC, the kind of attitude that Adams Oshiomhole exhibited cannot be in tandem with the President’s vision on Nigeria.”

The group lauded the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Lawan Shuaibu, for the courage to tell Oshiomhole to vacate his office.

He said of what “is a party chairman who doesn’t take any form of criticism; once even if it is one councillor in Karadamuda or Akassa, that says something about him, he replies in the same measure.

“Like the Deputy National Chairman said and I want to applaud the Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Lawan Shuaibu, for what he said in the very elaborate letter he sent asking Oshiomhole to vacate office. That is a point that the man was running a one-man show.

“Like I said before, I worry because where we are heading for might not be too nice. Like Alhaji Shuaibu said, all it take for the PDP to control the National Assembly is two seats or six or seven stubborn APC senators.

“It is a done deal And the same man is there threatening hell fire and brimestorm about how APC will not do any business with PDP. In 2019, you still see the other party as party of enemies? Who does that?

“In other political climes, one you lead a party and the party did not do well on an election, you have to go. Let us not demean ourselves with the fact that we won the Presidency. What about the governorship seats? Did we gain more senatorial seat now that we did in 2015? No. So if you look at it properly, APC lost in this last election.

“We are just lucky that the profile of the President got us to where we are today that we control the Presidency.”

He cited the case of a Nigerian, who was set up in Sarawak by Malaysian police, noting that he was handcuffed; put him in the police van while they searched his car in a dark basement in his absence.

He said the Malaysian police then came out “to say that a drug was found on his car that he should pay 150,000 Malaysian Ringgit to get his freedom but when the guy failed to reach the demand as we talk now the boy has been sentenced to death by hanging by a court in Sarawak Malaysia.

“This very act by the Malaysia Government and Police is one too many. It is gradually demonstrating its penchant for impunity, racism, disregard for the International rule of law and professionalism.”

He, however, urged the federal government and President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the Nigeria High Commissioner and the Staff of the Nigerian High Commission in the Asian Countries, especially Malaysia whom they accused of conniving with the police against Nigerians in their host countries.

He alleged that a top official at the Nigerian High Commission had been compromised and failed to use diplomatic ties between the two countries to save those facing death sentences on trumped-up charges.

Specifically, Attah cited the case of a Nigerian, Alowonle Gilbert, who he said was accused of killing a Malaysian Nurse, Miss Siti Kharina, by the Malaysian police.

He said the Commission had promised “to follow up with the case by getting a lawyer that will defend Alowonle Oluwajuwon Gilbert at the Sepang Court Selangor, Malaysia, but to our greatest surprise the Nigerian High Commission didn’t show up.
“There was no attorney to stand for Gilbert when the case was mentioned at the Court, which resulted that his fate lies at the mercy of the judge”, he said.

Attah, however, disclosed that apart from Gilbert, many other Nigerians “are currently serving various prison terms with some to be executed for offences they knew nothing about while the commission looks the other way.”

He further alleged that activities of some embassy official since assumption at Nigerian embassy in Malaysia have been in no small measures bastardising the renewed image of Nigeria that President Muhammadu Buhari is working hard to build both at home and abroad.
But reacting, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian in Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the Nigerian High Commission in Malaysia had already waded in the cases to ensure justice.

She, however, expressed concerns about worrisome level of Nigerians dealing in drugs in Malaysia, noting that the number of Nigerians allegedly dealing with Drugs in Malaysia was worrisome.

According to her, while the embassy will look into this case as it has others, we must admonish the few Nigerians in crime to stop it as the act of a few is tarnishing the image of others.

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