Oshiomhole Publicly Reveals Names Of Those Who Removed Him As APC National Chairman In The Presence Of The Big Names Involved

Oshiomhole Publicly Reveals Names Of Those Who Removed Him As APC National Chairman In The Presence Of The Big Names Involved

Adams Oshiomhole, the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has disclosed details surrounding his removal from office, shedding light on the challenges he faced within the party, particularly in his interactions with the APC governors.

Serving as the APC chairman from 2018 to 2020, Mr. Oshiomhole’s tenure ended amid a tumultuous relationship with the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) and a notable conflict with his former protege, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.

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During the launch of the book “APC and Transition Politics,” authored by Salihu Lukman, a former national vice chairman (North-west) of the party, Mr. Oshiomhole, now the senator for Edo North, delved into the circumstances surrounding his removal. Lukman, who played a pivotal role in the campaign leading to the removal of Oshiomhole and two other national chairmen—Mai Mala Buni and Abdullahi Adamu—expressed his dissent against the current national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje. He cited moral and corruption concerns, deeming Ganduje unsuitable for the party’s top position.

Despite their history, Mr. Ganduje attended the event and contributed N10 million to purchase copies of the book.

During his extended remarks, Mr. Oshiomhole, the former governor of Edo State, spoke for a duration of 54 minutes, unveiling the behind-the-scenes dynamics leading to his ousting as the head of the party and the influential role played by certain governors.

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He specifically pointed to the author and a group of governors, including former governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, as key figures behind the orchestrated campaign that resulted in what he deemed his “illegal” removal from office. Mr. Oshiomhole alleged that these governors employed various illicit methods to oust him, prompted by his efforts to establish party supremacy.

Interestingly, Mr. Fayemi, who was the chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) during that period, was present as Mr. Oshiomhole made these allegations. According to the former Edo governor, the governors sought to dictate the terms of how he should manage the affairs of the party, leading to the contentious situation.

“Lukman wrote several letters, dismissing my leadership without calling me. When you ride on the back of a tiger, there is only one destination. Lukman was appointed undemocratically by the governors’ forum. I was not consulted—I was a governor. We were told this is the new DG of the APC governors forum.

“Lukman was there when I wrote a letter, inviting the governors for a meeting to discuss the guidelines for conducting primaries, let me know the thinking of the various interest groups. I have discussed it with the president, and I needed to discuss it with the governors—so that once the guidelines are out, the party can claim ownership of it because it has been debated.

“I wrote to the governors for a meeting. The governors said no, I should come to Imo House, not the APC office. He (Lukman) was in the there (where they were holding the meeting). He did not see anything wrong with that,” Mr Oshiomhole said.

Speaking on the atmosphere at the meeting with the governors, Mr Oshiomhole said “It felt as though I was in a military barrack.”

He said following the diatribes from the governors, he responded “None of you can lecture me about the power of a governor. Because I have been governor twice. Eight years uninterrupted. At a point, I told Fayemi, ‘You did a resit. You were elected and by the second term, you lost. That means you failed’. I did not do a resit, and you are lecturing me about power. I can mention some of them.

“The man in Ogun State, he told me if not for the president, he would have left the party. Some of them told me “You are working for your paymaster in Lagos. Your paymaster in Bourdillon.

“I told the Ogun State governor, not the current one, the former one. I said “You are not loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari. Because if you are, when Buhari lost the election, you ported to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in search of a political greener pasture. You begged Asiwaju to beg Segun Osoba to accept you when you lost in the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). And today, you are coming to say that you are loyal, what manner of loyalty is that? This is what you call opportunism,” Mr Oshiomhole said.

The former chairman also disclosed that Mr Buhari did not intervene to stop the onslaught from the governors. He, therefore, warned Mr Ganduje to be prepared because, according to him, the governors are going to play the same card against him.

“Chairman sir, if you have not faced it already, you will face it. The only difference is if the president decides to intervene and moderate. In my own case, we have a president who was not ready to intervene,” he said.

Mr. Oshiomhole delivered his speech with a touch of humor, periodically earning applause from the audience.

He also revealed that during his leadership, the APC did not rely on financial contributions from the governors; instead, the party independently financed campaigns nationwide. Notably, he mentioned the party’s generous donation of N800 million to Kwara State in support of the “O to ge” movement, contributing to the party’s success in the state.

Discussing the book, Mr. Oshiomhole, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), expressed concern about the author’s focus on shortcomings while deliberately overlooking the positive contributions made by others.

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