The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may be in for another rounds of internal squabbles as its Deputy National Chairman (north), Lawal Shuaibu has accused the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole for running the party aground.
In a statement signed by Shuaibu on Thursday titled “APC and its future, let us exercise caution”, he said the party founded on the principles of constitutionalism and rule of law, is now subject of arbitrary administration, without regard for the dictates of the law.
Shuaibu said that the party’s NEC was the main decision-making organ after the convention, and “shall meet every three months. The power to set up standing or ad-hoc committees of the party is vested in the same NEC.”
Accusing Oshiomhole of appointing himself as chairman of the screening committees for governorship/senatorial elections and the final appeals committee, Shuaibu questioned the legality of such appointment.
He also faulted Oshiomhole’s alleged appointment of Waziri Bulama as the party’s acting national secretary on Monday May 18, saying that he was not democratically elected.
“It is this refusal to convene NEC to perform its role that has led the party to the comatose state it is now. My fear is, it is being repeated now for Ondo and Edo. The APC constitution in Article 20 (a) made it unambiguously clear, that all party posts prescribed or implied by this constitution shall be filled by democratically conducted elections at the respective convention (in the case of NWC or NEC) or congress (in the case of executive committees at state, local government or ward levels) et tal,” he said.
“The acting national secretary is a nullity and liable to be challenged by the opposition. Are we deaf and blind? Or is the chairman finally out to bury the party?
“What are the leaders of the party doing in the midst of this anarchy? Are they all equally fed up with the seeming collapsing party in the hands of a politically injured person that seems to be nursing political revenge?
“The leaders need to take a stand so that the followers know whether the party is now either a jungle or that entity of our collective dream at the inception.
“Majority of the members of the party are already perplexed, disillusioned and some even weighing their options. A stitch in time, I believe, saves nine!
He said nothing good should be expected from the forthcoming elections in Ondo and Edo because “there is already absence of transparency.”
He added, “The regulations issued that will guide the processes are already in violation of Article 20 (v) on page 76 of the APC constitution as amended where only the national executive committee is the only organ that shall approve such guidelines and regulations which includes the mode of nominating our candidates. I am crying for the APC inside me! Zamfara, here we come again.”