Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

The travail of the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has split the APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

A reliable source close to the pro-Oshiomhole governors’ camp told Daily Sun that as a result of the crack, about 13 APC governors have declared support for the former Edo governor.

The source said the pro-Oshiomhole governors have declared war on Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and  Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), vowing to remove them both as helmsman of Nigeria’s Governors Forum and chairman of Progressive Governors Forum respectively.

Oshiomhole has consistently maintained that some governors and a minister were behind his ordeal.

According to our source, “after all these days, the other faction of the NWC have been parading a letter they claimed was approved by Mr President to convene NEC meeting, all the Progressive Governors loyal to Oshiomhole have gone to meet Mr President who denied authorizing such letter.

“The President assured them that he is fully with Oshiomhole and not part of any plot to remove him. He also told them that he believes in him.

“Some of the governors that were previously anti-Oshiomhole decamped because they initially thought the governor of Kebbi, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, meant well in his schemes. They realised that the plot against Oshiomhole is not good for the party and an unnecessary distraction for Mr President.

“They essentially noted that these governors fighting Oshiomhole are working for their selfish personal interest against the interest of the party. They said the forces against Oshiomhole were based on flimsy excuses of the claim that he is a dictator and highhanded. Most of them realised that those against him were were pursuing narrow interests.

“That was how the pro-Oshiomhole governors resolved to support him and will not be part of any antics to remove him. They have constituted themselves into a camp to battle the anti-Oshiomhole governors.

“They said having tried everything to make the other governors understand and failed largely because they think that they are more PGF than them, they are going to prove to them that they don’t have monopoly of anything.

“Let me confirm to you that 13 governors are now backing  and fully in support of Oshiomhole. They are not only going to fight them but I can confirm to you that they have resolved to move against Bagudu who has been using the PGF DG to embarrass Oshiomhole. They want to show them that Mohammed Badaru and Kayode Fayemi of Jigawa and Ekiti states respectively and Bagudu are not the only governors. They have resolved to put machinery in motion to remove Bagudu as chairman of PGF and Fayemi as Governors Forum chairman. They now see them as agents of destabilisation,” the source noted.

Similarly, the embattled APC national chairman has replied his detractors that resigning his office is the last option he is considering.

Apparently replying his detractors through a source in his camp  he said: “Quitting is the last thing Oshiomhole will do. On the contrary, he is more prepared to battle his detractors more aggressively now than before.”

The camp of the APC boss has failed to confirm if he would report to office on Monday after securing the court order in Kano State to vacate his suspension.

But reacting to the plot by the pro-Oshiomhole governors against Fayemi, a top politician close to the NGF chairman who did not want his name in print said the whole story was concocted.

He told Daily Sun that Fayemi is the chairman of the 36 state governors and not of the APC alone, hence, plotting against Oshiuomhole would not confer any advantages on those planning, if any.

Meanwhile, fresh crisis is looming over who replaces Oshiomhole. While the governors are backing the former governor of Cross River State, Clement Ebri, the legislatures are considering former Senate leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba.

Ebri who was a governor in 1991 stepped down for Oshiomhole at the last convention while Ndoma-Egba was secretary of the convention.

However, some party members are also rooting for the acting National Secretary to be considered for the position of acting National Chairman.