Okorocha, Amosun Leads Plot To Remove Oshiomhole

Uche EmmanuelJune 1, 2019

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There is a cold war brewing in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The party chieftains, irked by the way the national chairman is running things, especially the role the former labour leader played in frustrating the bid of some party stalwarts who wanted to have a say in who succeeds them, are making frantic efforts to capitalise on the Supreme Court ruling which sacked all the APC elected candidates in Zamfara State to make a strong case for Adams Oshiomhole’s lack of grit on the party and call for his eventual removal.

Sources within the party told a correspondent that anti Oshiomhole forces seem to have been presented with a valid argument against his continued stay in the party hence the powerful forces have made desperate efforts to rally round other decision makers in the party to join forces with some ranking lawmakers of the party who are also disgruntled with the despotic way Oshiomole nominated Sen. Ahmed Lawan as the party’s choice for the presidency of the Senate and end what he described as Oshiomhole’s “tyrannic” rule in the party.

A source who spoke to our correspondence in confidence revealed that the move was initiated by the past Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha who went in search of other members who possibly have political scores to settle with the party chief so as to first form an alliance on common interest.

The source went on to reveal that while it took no much persuasion to bring Ibikunle Amosun on-board, it took a lot of intrigues and persuasions for the erstwhile Governor of Ondo state, Gov Rotimi Akeredolu to key into the project.

When the three southern governors on the platform of the party reached a common ground, they moved ahead to find other ranking members of the party who will not have reservations about the hatchet plot. The source also disclosed that the ex-Minister of Transport, Hon Rotimi Amaechi could not boldly support the course but promised solemnly never to be an obstacle. The group, however, got the green light of Senator Magnus Abe from Rivers state in Amechi’s place.

In the National Assembly, the group needed no much stress in getting some ranking lawmakers to support their plot as most of the legislators have been in one way or the other flared by the uncompromising nature of the national chairman of the party especially his recent unilateral decision to nominate Sen Ahmed Lawan from Northeast Yobe state as the choice of the party for the 9th Assembly senate presidency position.

The group got Senator Kabiru Marafa, the vociferous chairman senate committee on under-water resources to be its conduit. Senator Danjuma Goje is said to be sceptical about making public his resentment of Oshiomhole’s high-handedness in the party owing to his ambition to occupy the position of the presidency of the Senate and thus would not make public his support of the group. According to the source, the group has over 40 members of the national assembly in support with uncountable state assembly members.

The source also revealed that Akereodolu suggested the recruitment of a national executive committee (NEC)’s member possibly of Northern extraction to come public with the fight as part of the group’s sensitization program to gain public acceptance and demystify Oshiomole from within. It was in furtherance of that agenda that the deputy national chairman of the party, North, Sen Lawan Shuaibu was engaged to push the media fight.

Recall that Oshiomhole’s led NEC of the party currently suspended the governors of Imo, Ondo and Ogun states on anti-party activities. Having frustrated the efforts of Gov Okorocha of Imo state in having his son-in-law, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu flies the Guber ticket of the APC in the last governorship election that held in the state thereby swerved support to the Action Alliance (AA). The party under whose platform his son-in-law contested the states Guber elections. The governor of Ogun state who could not also secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress for his prefered candidate, Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade ditched the candidate of the APC to support Akinlade who later secured the Guber ticket to run on the platform of Allied People’s Movement (APM).

The move by the “like-minds” against the fierce Oshiomole is said to have suffered setbacks with the blunt refusal of the Tinubu’s camp to endorse the plan. In fact, the source feared that the faction in the party loyal to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is also making efforts to stage a defence for Oshiomhole and frustrate the group’s moves.

The members of the group are however said to be undeterred, insisting that Oshiomhole has done a lot of damage to the party and must be removed in the interest of the unity, peace and progress and the continued existence of the party.