The suspended National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said that the claim of the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom, that he had taken over the acting chairman’s role is against common sense.
Oshiomhole who spoke on Channels TV programme, “Politics Today”, said the party is ruled by its guidelines.
Oshiomhole added that the Court of Appeal did not suspend the National Working Committee from functioning and the constitution of the party made it clear who acts as the chairman where he is absent.
“My advice to my brother, Victor, is about common sense – in the absence of the Chairman, there is nothing in our rules and the court can only interpret the rules of the party and the Constitution of Nigeria. It serves to common sense that if the chairman is absent, it should be the deputy; in the absence of the deputy, it is the vice-chairman. How does the deputy secretary come in? As we speak, we have a secretary in the office. People should put God first, our party’s interest second, and our democracy deep in their hearts and not trying to use any externality to destabilize it.
“Everybody knows that we ought to resolve issues in line with the party’s rule. How can a deputy national secretary, assuming he was still one, claim to be the chairman?” Oshiomhole said.
Oshiomhole said he accepted the judgment of the appeal court that suspended him from office in good faith.
When he is asked what he is doing now, he said he is relaxing, strategizing, and consulting with his lawyers and the next line of action to take.
He said: “It is not for you to choose whether to obey or not. I accepted the judgment in good faith. I am a product of the judiciary and I always tell people that if I am not a convict today, it is the courtesy of a courageous Bench and a very resourceful Bar. All my life has been of a struggle, people have always oppressed and harassed me and the court has always come to my aid even my being governor was courtesy of the court. My lawyers will advise me on the next line of action after studying the judgment. I thank their lordship for the judgment.”
He added that the resignation of the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has since been accepted.
He said, “Until 7pm yesterday, I remained the chairman of the APC. Before then, the governor of Edo State had voluntarily resigned his membership. That resignation has since been accepted. The screening has been completed and all that was left was done today by the members of NWC.
“We are 21 members in the NWC. Since the court has upheld what they described as suspension by my ward, I did not attend the meeting in obedience to the Court of Appeal but it did not suspend the functioning of the NWC and the constitution of the party states clearly who acts as the Chairman in the absence of the Chairman. The NWC met and about 16 out of 20 took some decisions to ensure all attempts to scuttle the primary election in Edo were not successful and went ahead to appoint those that will conduct the election.”
