How Abba Kyari, Obaseki finally caged Oshiomhole

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State may have succeeded in mobilizing enough forces in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to bring the embattled national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to his knees. Party sources revealed that the President’s right-hand man, the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, could also be among the forces reinforcing the Edo governor and other APC governors to ensure the end of Oshiomhole’s leadership is achieved at the next APC NEC meeting in Abuja. They have successfully ensured Oshiomhole’s suspension stands, and that the former APC national chairman is permanently locked out of the APC Secretariat, Abuja, since the judgement of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, which suspended Oshiomhole as chairman.

Invariably, Oshiomhole and his loyalists may be swimming against the tide in trying to sustain the conflicts in the party or fight for his return, our source said.

National Daily investigation revealed that since the pronouncement of the FCT High Court, Abuja, ordering Oshiomhole to henceforth stop parading himself as APC national chairman, the embattled chairman has seldom stepped his feet in his office at the party secretariat. The judgement of the FCT received automatic enforcement, subtly sacking Oshiomhole from office.

The counter judgement of the Federal High Court, Kano, did not alter anything, coming from a court of coordinate jurisdiction with the Abuja High Court. Accordingly, the Nigeria Police complied with the Abuja High Court judgement to the seeming negligence of the Kano court judgement, which also did not vacate the existing order of the FCT High Court.

The Police, accordingly, deployed officers to the APC national secretariat, Abuja; stationed five patrol vans and an armoured personnel carrier (APC) on routine security duty.

The Police officers conduct thorough screening of persons going into the APC Secretariat, preventing those who have no legitimate businesses from entrance.

Justice Danlami Senchi, presiding judge of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, a fortnight ago given order on an application of interlocutory injunction filed by one Oluwale Afolabi seeking the removal of Oshiomhole as APC national chairman.

The judge declared that, “Oshiomhole will remain suspended pending the determination of the suit.”

Justice Senchi had declared that it was wrong of the APC to have kept Oshiomhole as national chairman after he was suspended by his state APC in Etsako LG in Edo State.

The presiding judge of the Federal High Court, Kano, Justice Lewis Allagoa, had given a counter judgement, nullifying the FTC High Court judgement and ordering Oshiomhole to resume as APC national chairman. After the Kano judgement on Thursday preceding the Wednesday the FCT court upheld his suspension, Oshiomhole rushed to visit President Muhammadu Buhari at the State house, Abuja, in a seeming subtle celebration of having bounced back.

Presidency sources said the Chief of Staff to President, however, purportedly advised his boss to ignore the embattled chairman, noting that Oshiomhole has lost bearing in the leadership of the party. Thus, Oshiomhole’s hasty visit to President Buhari yielded no result on his rescue.

There was the innuendo that Oshiomhole had gone to the Inspector General of Police to protest the Police take over of the APC Secretariat but was told that they are at the party’s secretariat on court order. It is obvious that the FCT High Court order subsists while the Kano High Court judgement tentatively remains a nullity.

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The Police presence at the APC Secretariat would have been vacated with simple executive order from the President, but President Buhari has remain silent.

While Oshiomhole is continually locked out of the Secretariat, APC Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom, had resumed work at the party’s national secretariat, moving in and out of the secretariat with tight security details.

Reports indicated that Security operatives at the APC National Secretariat were handed list of staff and journalists they would allow entrance into the Secretariat.

Apparently, the APC chairman has been tightly caged by the strong forces in the party, and perhaps, with the support of the presidency.

The signs that Oshiomhole’s final fall is imminent are revealed by the continuation of preparations for the APC NEC meeting which the NWC faction loyal to the embattled chairman had attempted to dispute and cancel. More so, APC leaders were said to be contemplating appointing an action national chairman or constituting an interim national committee to take over the leadership of the party pending when the ruling party holds its national convention.