- Police beef up security at party secretariat
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Following the order of an Abuja High Court that the National Chairman of the of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomholex should step aside as the chairman, the ruling party said it would respect all lawful court orders as a law-abiding party.
Justice Danlami Senchi on Wednesday gave the order in a ruling on an interlocutory injunction filed by one Mustapha Salihu and five others, while also ordering Oshiomhole to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the APC until the issues challenging his leadership of the party was resolved.
The order is pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit seeking his removal from office as the national chairman of the ruling party.
But, the acting National Secretary of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, while addressing a press conference Wednesday in Abuja , confirmed that the party had received a copy of the court order, while also assuring that the ruling party would respect the court order.
He also revealed that the National Working Committee (NEC) would soon meet to deliberate on the matter.
Giadom stated: “As a party, we are aware of the injunction. As a law abiding party we will respect all lawful court orders. Very soon the National Working Committee will meet and you will hear further from the party. I am trying to say that the All Progressives Congress will respect all lawful court orders. We will soon do that.”
He explained that there’s a court injunction and it is binding on the party to respect all the court injunction.
Gaidom stressed that there was nothing new about the heavy security presence at the secretariat, adding that there had always been security at the national secretariat of the party.
THISDAY can realibly report that a copy of the court order was served on the party around 4:57 p.m through the party’s legal adviser.
Though, the legal adviser was not on seat as at the time the party was served, but one of his staff collected and acknowledged receiving the court order on behalf of the party.
However, at exactly 5p.m, a team of policemen arrived with nine trucks and one Amoured Personnel Carrier (APC) to beef up security at the national secretariat of the party.
The security operatives told the staff to go into their offices and those that decided to go outside the premises were told they would be allowed in again.
But THISDAY also gathered that it was the leadership of the party that called for security to be beefed up at the headquarters of the party, while It was also gathered that some political thugs came to the headquarters of the party which forced the security personnel on ground to send signal to the office for reinforcement.
Earlier, a national vice chairman, North-east of the party, Mustapha Aaliyah, has expressed support for the suspension of Oshiomohle.
He alleged that the suspended national chairman was about to cause confusion by announcing Ach. Waziri Bulama, as the national secretary.
Reacting to the Court order, Saliu alleged that: “Immediately the court injunction was given, the national chairman has 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 APC vice chairman said.
Saliu insisted that since court has declared Oshiomhole suspended, whatever decision taken by him would be considered illegal.
He stated: “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.”
