The National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has risen to protect the embattled APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiohmole, who he sponsored for the national leadership of the ruling party at the national convention. Tinubu opposed the moves to remove Oshiohmole, arguing that the party supremacy must be respected.
It was gathered that Tinubu in a media interaction with State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday, had declared that Oshiohmole has so far not violated APC constitution or engaged in any anti-party activity that will warrant his resignation or removal from office.
“We all have to respect the party supremacy. You were all here when we had the Congress, we elected the new executives, we had the convention, the NEC was formed and we surrendered to avoid conflict, to avoid domination, to avoid abuses of power, we surrendered our rights, all rights to the National Working Committee headed by Adams Oshiomohole.
“That the National Working Committee should set up electoral bodies to supervise various state congresses and elections; ‘We signed off for it.
“So, if it is not in our individual favour, so be it. We gave three options, consensus, where there is no consensus because if you are more than two or three and you cannot agree to one candidate, you go to the next level.
“The next level is the stakeholders’ delegates (system) and you have to be supervised by the National Working Committee of the party, national election committee of the party.
“That shows party supremacy or the freest option, the less cumbersome is to open direct primary, line up and count the number, 1,2,3. If you win, you win and if you fail, go home.” Tinubu had declared.
He remarked that an appeal committee was set up by the party to look into grievances arising from the conduct of the party’s primaries; adding that the committee, which served as internal mechanism for conflict resolution, had performed its duties diligently
“It was there (appeal committee), you cannot turn round against that, and you cannot turn against all of that.
“No, Party is supreme, party must be respected, abuses will not do it and anger will not do it. It is party politics, somebody will win and somebody will lose, too bad,” Tinubu stated.
National Daily recalls that APC National Chairman, Oshiohmole, had on Oct. 21, in a statement by his press secretary, Mr Simon Ebegbulem, alerted that conservatives within the party are ganging up to pass a vote of no-confidence on him. He said in the statement that his sin was his refusal to allow continued impunity and circumvention of due process being perpetuated in some states.
The APC chairman added that he was not surprised by the gang up, as he never had the illusion that the process of reforming the party was going to be an easy one. (NAN)