By Adedayo Akinwale
The police on Thursday averted what could have been a major clash between anti and pro-Oshiomhole protesters at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
The anti-Oshiomhole protesters arrived at the national headquarters of the ruling party at about 12 noon.
The planned protest, which was eventually thwarted by the police, was the third in recent time as the demand for the removal of the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole continues.
To prevent what could have been a free-for-all, the security men detailed at the APC Secretariat immediately sent signals to the Divisional Police Headquarters in charge of the area and immediately security was beefed up.
It was while the anti-Oshiomhole protesters were gathering that the pro-Oshiomhole group stormed the party’s secretariat.
While speaking with journalists, one of the leaders of the anti-Oshiomhole protesters, Mr. Umar Musa, accused the former labour leader of demarketing the ruling party, adding that there is no going back until Oshiomhole is removed.
He said: “We are here to express our feelings, to show or tell the whole world that we are not happy with what is happening in our party. The leadership of this party is getting out of hand and that is why we are here to tell our leaders that Oshiomhole must go, Oshiomhole must leave.
“When you look at the situation of our party and what has happened at the last primaries in 2019 you will agree with me that we have no leader.
“Since Oshiomhole came on board, there is no progress in the party, there is no development, no achievement or tangible thing to show you that there is a good example of leadership in the party. So, that is why we say Oshiomhole must go.”
However, speaking in defence of Oshiomhole, the Deputy Youth Leader APC, FCT, Mr. Idris Faruk, insisted that those protesting against Oshiomhole were not members of APC.
According to him, “If the party is not happy with the National Chairman of our party, some of us who are officers wouldn’t have come to the streets to react to that effect but these persons that came to the streets today to protest, I don’t think they are members of our party.”
