The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, got a vote of confidence during the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Friday, thereby surviving the impeachment threat hanging over his head.
Although, unconfirmed report claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari walked out of the meeting when it became rowdy, the meeting, which was the shortest ever, appeared tensed on Friday, when anti and pro-Oshiomhole protesters grounded the activities along the road leading to the party’s national secretariat, resulting in security agents firing teargas to disperse the protesters.
Although, Oshiomhole’s arch-rival and governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, was present at the meeting, every effort to stop the Edo State chairman, Anslem Ojezua, from entering the meeting venue was thwarted by other chairmen that complained and threatened to walk out of the meeting.
Interestingly, no decision was taken on the suspended members of the party like the immediate past governors of Imo and Ogun states, Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun among others who were incidentally absent at the meeting.
It was also revealed during the meeting that the shortfall in the funds generated to finance the 2019 presidential election almost denied President Muhammadu Buhari re-election.
Speaking at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the party’s national secretariat on Friday, the national chairman disclosed that they had to frantically source for funds a few days to the election to prosecute the poll.
He boasted that the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, would next weekend, join the other 15 National Assembly members that rebelled against the party, noting that Nigerians punished the Bukola Saraki-led rebels by retiring them.
He, however, lamented that in-fighting and internal wrangling denied the party re-election in Bauchi and Adamawa states, even as he assured that APC will reclaim its stolen mandate in Sokoto state.
“The electorate also elected more members of House of Representatives on the APC platform.
“Mr President, I also believe, it is significant to point out that those who rebel against this party, who sought to bring us down, who decamped at a critical moment, believing that their defection would destabilise us and we would have no enough time to make up as led by Senator Saraki – he and 15 others, 16 of them (would have regretted their action).
“By the special grace of God, Nigerian electorate have chosen to punish them with their PVCs and their ballot papers. They were all voted out, and APC senators were voted in to replace them. The electorate also elected more members of House of Representatives on the APC platform.
“There is one that he’s still struggling but as it is, he is at 20,000 feet below ground level and he’s hoping that there would be a miracle that would bring him to ground level and climb the tree to the Senate but by the special grace of God, under your leadership, that deficit, there will be no miracles in the election, particularly when they are free and fair.
“God willing, by the end of the month, when the re-run in Kogi State would be done, the 16th stubborn one will go the way of the other 15. That for me is remarkable because the message is clear that gradually but steadily when anyone who went to UAE… in this case, those who rode on the back of Mr President to win election and turned round to monetise it and use that same power to attack not only the Presidency but to attack the institution of our party. I think those lessons will linger for us.
“Mr President, I have chosen to amplify where we lost but we also made some gains that is quite understanding. I am sure it is gladdening the heart of every APC member and even APC well-wishers that the man who led the rebellion against our party, former Senate President that people of Kwara state did not only denied him return to the Senate, they also voted out every element in PDP and today from the governorship we won, Senate we won and of course the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.
“I think our victory in Kwara State for me was most outstanding. I think we now generally refer to Kwara with pride as the Otooge revolution. We also won in Gombe State. I’m sure for our brothers in the North-East, Gombe with an incumbent PDP governor – our people only armed with their bare hands, but obviously with Mr President’s good will, we defeated PDP in Gombe State and today Gombe is governed by APC governor.
“So, Mr President, I believe that until these issues are finally resolved particularly those of them that are likely to go up to the Supreme Court level, I believe heavenly that life is sustained by hope; I believe that by the time we are done, we will have a chance of winning some of these cases that are going to the Supreme Court where we have lost at the level of the Court of Appeal,” he said.
“We have also got through a rather stressful process including the fact that the opposition chose to challenge your election. They even wanted to take in to school as to whether there is different between Muhammadu and Muhammad and all…here is one that he’s still struggling but as it is, he is at 20,000 feet below ground level and he’s hoping that there would be miracle that would bring him to ground level and climb the tree to the Senate but by the special grace of God, under your leadership, that defici
