Why APC NEC May Sack Oshiomhole, NWC Members On Thursday

As the fate of the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, continues to hang in the balance, the National Executive Committee of the party has reportedly perfected plans to remove him from the fold at a meeting slated for Thursday.

A reliable source told Saharareporters on Wednesday that many APC governors had withdrawn their support for Oshiomhole considering the cracks in the party.

The crisis, which has already spread to some states the APC presently controls, is projected to have a negative impact on its quest to retain power at the federal level in 2023 if the problems are not immediately tackled.

Some of the misdemeanour of Oshiomhole, which the NEC may consider includes his inability to convene NEC meetings once in three months as stipulated by Article 35 of the party’s constitution.

That Oshiomhole, it was gathered, had only convened NEC meetings twice since 2018 – a gross violation of the party’s laws.

It was also gathered that he had been paying every member of the National Working Committee N2m each monthly as against the dictates of the party’s constitution.

The source also disclosed that Oshiomhole has not given a proper account of the funds realised during the 2019 general elections and this has angered some top members of the APC.

He said, “The annual budget of the party is to be approved by the NEC. He (Oshiomhole) has been running away not to give account of the proceeds of the nomination forms and expression of interest forms sold in 2019.

“He knows that NEC will ask about the finance and expenditure of the party and that is why he has refused to call for NEC meeting.

“We are due for NEC meeting for a long time and it is only the NEC that can resolve the crisis we have in the party.

“Since 2018 he has only called for NEC meeting two times.”

Findings also revealed that Abiola Ajimobi, a former governor of Oyo State, who was favoured to act as National Chairman after a court ordered the removal of Oshiomhole recently, was not a product of convention.

He was nominated from South-West to replace Otunba Niyi Adebayo, who got a ministerial appointment.

“You cannot be an officer of the party without being elected even if there was no election, there must be affirmation from the members.

“Bringing Ajimobi from his zone is not the final, the entire APC members must assemble and adopt it.

“That was why the court recognised Victor Giadom because he is a product of a convention. Ajimobi is not an elected officer and nomination must be ratified.

“Giadom has vowed to go ahead with the NEC meeting slated for Thursday at the Villa insisting that he was reconvening the NEC meeting earlier billed to hold on the 17th of March, 2020 but was postponed.”

The source added that a caretaker committee may be set up with the mandate of piloting the affairs of the party and organising a convention.