Going, Going…Gone To Oshiomhole? As Buhari Endorses Removal As APC National Chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has caved in to pressure and endorsed the removal of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to arrest the lingering crisis in the ruling party.

Our source who is familiar with the development, said the president gave the blessing for Oshiomhole’s ouster after some stakeholders in the party and some State Governors elected on the APC’s platform convincingly argued against the national chairman’s continued stay in office during a meeting with the president.

The source, who craved anonymity revealed that the process to ease the embattled chairman out of office has started adding that if he refuses to resign he would be forced out “using the machinery of state.”

“Oshiomhole has been told that the President wants him to leave the post but he is going round grandstanding, lobbying people close to the president and even using members of his family to beg with the hope that the president can be convinced to change his mind. He’s done. His time is up,” the source said.

The source who asked to remain anonymous said Buhari had until recently stood firmly by Oshiomhole, who has been at loggerheads with key stakeholders and did not heed the president’s admonition to resolve the crisis within the party. His critics say he is too highhanded, proud and lacks the capacity to manage a political party as diverse as the APC.

The crisis in the party Tuesday took a new twist as a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was marred by shouting and quarrels over the announcement of Arch. Waziri Bulama as the new National Secretary by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

National Vice Chairman North East, Comrade Salihu Mustapha, the zone where the office of National Secretary was zoned to, accused Oshiomhole of highhandedness and not following the party’s constitution on the matter.

After storming out of the meeting, Mustapha, told reporters that Oshiomhole was not qualified to preside over the NWC meeting because a court had approved his suspension by the chapter of the party in his home state, Edo State, where he is in a bitter political fight with the Governor Godwin Obaseki and the state executive of the party.

THEWILL