Oshiomhole lost last battle to scuttle removal at NEC meeting

The embattled national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, may have on Thursday lost a seeming last battle to scuttle his removal at the APC NEC meeting holding at the party Secretariat, Abuja in the next five days.  This is not unconnected with the conditional judgement of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which restrained the National Executive Council (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from going ahead with its meeting scheduled for March 17 except a former Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi; and two others, Waziri Bulama, the new national secretary and Paul Chukwuma, are allowed to participate in the meeting.

The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Liman, making the order while delivering judgement on an exparte application on Thursday, further restrained the APC and its officials from “disturbing, preventing or obstructing Waziri Bulama, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and Paul Chukwuma from carrying out their duties as acting National Secretary, acting National Deputy Chairman (South) and acting National Auditor of the APC, respectively.”

The exparte application was filed by the Lagos State Chairman of the APC, Tunde Balogun.

Balogun, in the application, asked the court to compel the APC to recognise Bulama as the party’s acting National Secretary; Ajimobi, as the acting National Deputy Chairman (South); and Chukwuma, as the acting National Auditor of the party.

The State chairman argued before the  court that after the three offices became vacant and were zoned to different geopolitical zones, Bulama was nominated by the North-East; Ajimobi, by the South-West; and Chukwuma, by the South-East.

Balogun said the nomination of Bulama was ratified at the meeting of the APC National Working Committee held on January 14, 2020; while those of Ajimobi and Chukwuma were ratified at the NWC meeting of March 4, 2020.

“By virtue of the ratification stated above, the nominees have become members of the National Executive Council and are entitled by the constitution of the defendant (APC) to work and operate in acting capacities in their respective offices pending their swearing-in at the National Convention of the party.

“In spite of the foregoing, the defendant (APC), acting through its officials and officers, particularly, the Deputy National Secretary, has not allowed the nominees to perform their duties as members of the National Executive Council,” Balogun declared.

He also told the court that the APC National Executive Council could not effectively operate unless Bulama, Ajimobi, and Chukwuma were allowed to perform their duties.

He, therefore, asked the court to compel the APC to recognise them.

After listening to the submissions, Justice Liman, in his judgement ordered that the APC and its officials be put on notice. He adjourned till March 25, to take the Motion on Notice.

However, Balogun forgot to tell the court that Bulama was signatory to a three-man statement that countered the APC NEC, urging party members to disregard the invitation to the meeting; the same meeting the Lagos APC Chairman approached the court to allow the three principal officers of the party to participate.

Meanwhile, the suit was not about halting the NEC meeting but allowing these principal officers to participate. Therefore, the NEC meeting is going on as scheduled by the conveners. Who may also allow the three principal officers to participate but not to preside since they never convene the meeting.

Oshiomhole’s fall on March 17 is becoming imminent.