We gathered in Abuja, on Saturday, that lawmakers especially senators, who were favoured by Oshiomhole’s intervention during the recently concluded party primaries, had started reaching out to one another with a view to mobilising support for him.
The senators said since those who were moving against the national chairman were doing so discretely, it would also be proper for the pro-Oshiomhole’s lawmakers to employ the same method.
However, the Deputy Senate Majority Whip, Sen. Francis Alimikhena, is not favourably disposed to being discrete about the matter as he has threatened to mobilise party members across board to resist any attempt to remove the APC National Chairman by every legally-available means.
The media aide to the Senator, Mr. Benjamin Atu, quoted his principal as saying, “Those clamouring for Oshiomhole’s removal are the vocal minority who do not wish the party well but who want to destroy APC because of their personal parochial interest.”
Alimikhena, who represents Edo North in the upper legislative chamber, also cautioned those instigating crisis within the party to allow Oshiomhole to conclude the assignment of repositioning the party for the overall good of Nigerians rather joining members of the opposition in their desperate attempt to pull down the APC.
He said, “Oshiomhole still enjoys the support of the President, members of the National Assembly and various states party chairmen are standing with him.
“We cannot trade away the national chairman who has recently led the party to victory in the governorship elections held in some states of the federation.
“The opposition knows how valuable he is to the APC and they will stop at nothing to try to cause confusion.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the lawmaker representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District, Senator Kabiru Marafa, also said those calling for Oshiomhole’s sacking were moles of the opposition whose preoccupation was to do anything to weaken the APC.
Marafa said in an interview on Saturday that removing Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the APC at this time would be counterproductive for the party ahead of the elections.
He said, “Right from the outset, I have reasons to say that there are fifth columnists in the APC. There are people, who are desirous of pulling down the APC, and they are within the party, and they are working with the opposition all through to this point to ensure that APC does not work.
“This is just an extension of their agenda, because calling for the removal of the National Chairman at this point is counterproductive. And anybody who attempts to do that is doing a great disservice to our APC.
“I don’t think that the calls for Adam’s removal are patriotic. They are selfish and intended to pull down the ruling party and bring about chaos in the party and maybe, make the party lose the coming national elections.”
The APC National Vice Chairman (South-South), Hilliard Eta, also said the party chairman should not be made anybody’s scapegoat because the problems he was currently dealing with were inherited.
He said, “Yes, as a political party, made up of human beings we have issues. Our National Chairman like every human being is not perfect. However, the problems facing the party today did not start under his leadership. The problems started with the faulty congresses conducted before he came into office.
“What the party under his leadership is trying to do is to address these issues in such a way that the party will come out stronger. I have no doubt in my mind that President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC will win the 2019 elections convincingly across the nation. I can assure you that our party’s victory, especially in the South- South, will shock Nigerians.”
This is coming barely 24 hours after the APC chairmen in the five states of the South-South passed a vote of confidence in Oshiomhole.
