APC Crisis: Plot To Replace Oshiomhole Thickens, As Either Ndoma Egba Or Ebiri Is A Possible Replacement

By Akinwale Kasali

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is in a fix following the plot by some top chieftains and stakeholders in the party to oust the party’s Chairman, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, out of office.

For months now, Oshiomhole has been in the eye of the storm following several allegations levelled against him ranging from corruption, high handedness, godfatherism and more. These allegations have, no doubt, brought bad press to the party.

Some Governors under the APC umbrella have commenced consideration of a possible replacement for the embattled national chairman  who is, presently, at loggerhead with Governor Godwin Obaseki, his successor in Edo State Government House.

This magazine gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari is aware of the plot to remove Oshiomhole. Unconfirmed sources allege he has given tacit approval to the plot.

Oshiomhole has faced series of criticisms from party members since after the party’s primaries for the past general elections.

At a point, he was drilled by the Department of State Security (DSS) over alleged untidy businesses in the primaries that produced  the party’s candidates for the election. Even the First Lady,  Mrs Aisha Buhari,  was so concerned, he spoke out against the alleged untidy businesses.

Last week, some APC governors met with President Buhari, allegedly, over Oshiomhole, where they stated that the Chairman  lacks the capacity to lead the party.

The APC’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, was the first to accuse Oshiomhole of lacking the capacity to handle the APC.

Shuaibu had, in a personal letter he wrote to Oshiomhole, which was leaked to the media, insisted that with the poor  performance of the APC in the last general elections, Oshiomhole had no option but to resign.

He insisted that it was Oshiomhole’s lack of capacity to manage the party’s affairs that led to the APC losing Bauchi, Oyo, Imo and Zamfara state governorship elections as well as some National and State Assembly seats.

Before Shuaibu’s letter, calls for Oshiomhole’s resignation had gathered momentum as the likes of former Governors Rochas Okorocha, Ibikunle Amosun, and Abdulazeez Yari had teamed up with some aggrieved ministers, senators and some other APC chieftains who felt they were ‘robbed’ the party’s tickets by Oshiomhole’s National Working Committee (NWC) voicing their concerns.

Also, the former national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had accused Oshiomhole of “conducting the most fraudulent party primaries in the history of Nigerian democracy”.

In a statement issued by Oyegun’s Media Adviser, Ray Murphy, he said: “It is common knowledge that Oshiomole ran the most fraudulent primaries in the history of politics in Nigeria.

“Recall that INEC said so when it adjudged Oshiomole’s primaries as the worst so far. The courts are saying the same thing today by upturning several APC primaries for being undemocratic”.

Although the APC State chairmen came in defence  of Oshiomhole when they recently passed a vote of confidence on him after a meeting with the NWC in Abuja, the calls  for his removal have remained persistent.

According  to the Secretary of the Forum of APC State  Chairmen, Dr. Ben Nwoye: “We met with National Chairman of our great party in company of members of the NWC. Based on the information we have, and the readiness of the National  Chairman to lead this party to the Next Level, we have  unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the person of the National  Chairman  and the NWC.

“Any rumour that our National Chairman is facing troubled time should be disregarded. We need to say this to stop the speculation. He is a strong leader. He has all it takes to lead this party to the Next Level.

Senator Ndoma Egba, a former Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and Secretary of the past APC National Convention Planning Committee and Clement Ebiri, a former governor of Cross River State, are in the race to replace Oshiomhole.

It will be recalled that Ebiri was told to step down for Oshiomhole during the APC Chairmanship tussle when John Odigie Oyegun was replaced.

With the way the plot against Oshiomhole thickening, Ebiri could be considered to replace him.

Speculations are rife that APC stalwart, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may have given his nod to the replacement of Oshiomhole, indicating that Oshiomhole’s exit as the chairman of the APC is in the offing. If it happens, he will be the second APC National Chairman from Edo state to be ousted. The first was his predecessor, John Odigie Oyegun.