APC crisis: Search for Oshiomhole’s successor begins

There are emerging indicators that the search for a new national chairman to replace the embattled All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, has begun. There are symptoms that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) allied legacy party led by President Muhammadu Buhari, may be subtly negotiating new alliance within the APC towards 2023. While members of one legacy party in the APC alliance appear to be weaken in the internal conflagration and power configuration in the party, new allies are being co-opted into the mainstream of who gets what, when and how much from the party government. Accordingly, recent appointments by the President showed to be bringing in new people from a particular zone in the south into the government, perhaps, for empowerment.

National Daily will bring details on this in subsequent report.

There are indications Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State may be leading in the search for Oshiomhole’s replacement in the south-south. The Edo Governor has been strengthening his forte to ensure the removal of Oshiomhole at the APC NEC meeting on March 17, mobilizing all political forces within his reach in the south-south after winning legion of allies in the southwest and the north.

Governor Obaseki had summoned a meeting of APC leaders in the south-south scheduled to hold at the Edo State Government Lodge, Abuja, on Thursday\.

The meeting appeared to be the advance stage mobilising party chieftains in the south-south to join the move to remove Oshiomhole as national chairman at the APC national caucus and NEC meetings in Abuja. APC National Vice-Chairman South-South, Prince Hilliard Eta, had protested that the meeting is to search for Oshiomhole’s replacement, appealing to APC leaders in the south-south to disregard the governor’s invitation to the meeting.

It was gathered that the south-south APC stakeholders may be joined at the consultative meeting in Abuja summoned by Governor Obaseki to effect negotiations for the replacement of the party’s embattled national chairman.

Earlier, the former Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, was speculated to take over as acting national chairman when Oshiomhole is pushed out.

It was also disclosed that APC leaders are going into the March 17 NEC meeting with proposals – one is to appoint an acting chairman; the second is to constitute a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party pending when the APC national convention holds for the election of new national chairman.

The signals are getting stronger that the fall of Oshiomhole is imminent.

The APC national chairman has been locked out of the secretariat since the Abuja court ordered his suspension from the party.

However, there are no nominations for Oshiomhole’s successor yet; but that may be decided at the APC NEC meeting on March 17.