The tension that engulf leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the unmitigated conflicts and threats of defection by the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) has made the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, restless, seeking help from wherever he can find any.
Oshiomhole at the weekend lost control over the situation and rushed to the residence of Buba Galadima, National Chairman of the R-APC, begging for help to restrain R-APC members from defection. The APC national chairman went to Galadima in his hopelessness after he had publicly insulted Galadima and R-APC leaders as renegades that can be crushed. He had maintained that the R-APC members can be deflated and dismantled with superior arguments, after which he opened salvo on them.
Oshiomhole was accompanied on the visit to Galadima by Governor Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara State, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and APC reputable leader who has been playing several crucial roles in the efforts to stabilise that party.
Besides the threat to exit APC, Galadima and other R-APC leaders are already in court demanding the ousting of Oshiomhole as APC national chairman, arguing that the national convention process of the party that brought him to office was flawed and marred by irregularities. They were also demanding the conduct of fresh national convention to elect genuine leaders of the party into the National Working Committee (NWC). Removal of Oshiomhole was also one of the conditions the r-APC gave if they must remain in the ruling party.
Oshiomhole had penultimate week met with leaders of the two Chambers of the national Assembly, President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki., and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Right Honourable Yakubu Dogara, after the declaration of the emergence of the R-APC in Abuja.
National Daily gathered and Oshiomhole and Governor Yari had at the residence of Galadima, appealed to the R-APC leader to save Oshiomhole’s job at the APC National secretariat in Abuja. They begged the elder statesman leading the R-APC to also have a second thought on the decision to defect from the ruling and prevail on other members of the faction to rescind their decisions.
President Muhammadu Buhari is also handling other aspects of the negotiations to forestall the dumping of APC by the R-APC, throwing juicy carrots and making fabulous offers to hold back key actors, who include Senate President Saraki.
Meanwhile, leaders of R-APC has insisted on abandoning the ruling party and turning down the juicy offers from the President. However, the fabulous offers to Saraki has been raising uproar across board, generating skepticism that Saraki may succumb to the tempting offers.
They, accordingly, maintained that they would leave APC with or without Saraki.
Galadima did not give his August visitors any assurance or promise before their departure from his residence.