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Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) and other party stakeholders, yesterday, took a swipe at those calling for the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.
They claimed calls for Oshiomhole’s resignation were being made by sponsored agents of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his cohorts and insisted that the unfortunate incident in Bayelsa, where the Supreme Court upturned victory of APC governorship candidate, David Lyon, cannot be traced to Oshiomhole, who they said had done well in repositioning the party.
Enugu State APC Chairman and Secretary, Forum of State Chairmen, Ben Nwoye, and his Imo State counterpart, Marcelenus Nlemigbo, stated this in a separate statements condemning the recent attack on the person of Oshiomhole.
“Majority of our party leaders and members are very satisfied with the leadership style of Oshiomhole, what you see as criticism is coming from his native Edo State because the governor there is fighting with his party leaders, including the national chairman.
“As a result, he has resources to spend in the media, sponsor articles and commentators with a view to tarnish the image of the national chairman, which is very unfair. It will be wicked to attribute the sad incident to Oshiomhole when you consider the desperate interest of the PDP in Bayelsa.
“These enemies that are quick in abusing Oshiomhole, why were they not quick to commend him when we won the same Bayelsa, which has not happened before, since 1999. Why did they not commend Oshiomhole when we won Kogi, then Imo recently.
“That is why I said true APC members cannot blame Oshiomhole for this, particularly when the deputy governor is a sitting senator.
“The truth is that no genuine member of the APC will blame Oshiomhole for what happened in Bayelsa unless for those who earlier wished APC to lose Bayelsa and Kogi before the elections just to get at Oshiomhole.
“Oshiomhole has performed creditable well as chairman and of course he cannot please every body. All those aggrieved should tap into the national reconciliation committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the party, so they can air their views and find peaceful resolution of the crisis,” they said in the statements.
Also, Ahmed Gulak, warned that the attack on Oshiomhole was not a good omen for the APC, and warned those behind it to desist or be sanctioned.
“The judiciary is part of our democracy and it is shocking that people will want to blame Oshiomhole innocently due to the decision of the Supreme Court as regards Bayelsa. All those fighting Oshiomhole and sponsoring these protests have one selfish interest or the other. But I want to state that the call is baseless and uncalled for,” he said.
Regardless, party chieftains and leaders in Edo State have called on the Presidency and the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) to rein in Oshiomhole to avert a repeat of the sad development in the state.
The party chieftains, who spoke in separate interviews in Benin, said the bulk of the blame should fall on Oshiomhole whose recklessness and choice of personal preference over established conventions and regulations continue to bring woes upon the party.
Calling for the sack of Oshiomhole, the party members specifically warned that the APC may lose Edo, like Zamfara, Rivers and Bayelsa if nothing is urgently done to check the excesses of the national chairman.
