APC governors ask Oshiomhole to call for NEC meeting or resign

The Progressive Governors’ Forum has called on Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to convene a national executive council meeting or resign.

All elected governors of the ruling party are members of the forum.

In a statement on Wednesday, Salihu Lukman, director-general of the forum, said calling a meeting of the superior organs of the party is the only solution to the increasing organisational challenges in APC.

“In the current circumstance, nothing short of a NEC or National Caucus meeting of the party can resolve all our increasing organisational challenges as a party,” the statement said.

“It is either Oshiomhole respects the provision of the party constitution and convene superior organ meeting to deliberate on all our challenges, or he should just accept his inability to manage the party and simply resign.”

He called on the national leaders of the party to rise to the challenge facing the party and take all necessary measures to convene superior organ meetings to begin to resolve all challenges as a party, saying “the current public disgrace must end!”

Lukman said the party members are busy undermining themselves instead of working on how to win elections.

He said the power play between Oshiomhole and Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, is a sign that the ruling party is about to reenact what happened in states like Zamfara, Rivers, and others.

“In so many respects, it could be argued, it is a natural outcome of unfolding power play between Oshiomhole and Governor Godwin Obaseki since June 2019 with the contentious inauguration of the Edo State House of Assembly,” he said.

“Possible retaliatory responses from both Comrade Oshiomhole and groups such as Edo Peoples Movement who are loyal to Oshiomhole should be expected.

“In other words, the could be counter pronouncement suspending Governor Obaseki.

“Side by side with the news of the vote of no confidence was also the discomforting report of the Federal High Court judgement in Abuja disqualifying Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo as our Deputy Governorship candidate for the November 16, 2019, Bayelsa election.

“While expecting that every necessary step will be taken to vacate the judgement, it is very depressing for every committed party member to be subjected to such ignominious reality, which only reminds us of our reckless conducts in states like Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi and Adamawa, which chiefly gave away electoral victories to the PDP.

“Instead of focusing on working to win elections, we are busy undermining ourselves. All these are ominous signs that we are about to re-enact the Zamfara, Rivers, Bauchi and Adamawa experiences in Bayelsa.

“It is Bayelsa today, Anambra, Edo, and Ondo are being set up for similar experiences. Somehow, unfortunately, the NEC of the party, which is the organ vested with the statutory responsibility of responding to all these challenges appears to be suspended.

“The last time it met was August 2018. In its place, the National Working Committee, which is an administrative organ with the responsibility of implementing decisions of NEC and other higher organs seems to have usurped the powers of NEC.”