After what seemed like an intractable party squabble, the embattled national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has sued for peace and promised to adapt to a new leadership style to suit other members of the National Working Committee, NWC.
He said this on Tuesday in Abuja during the meeting of the NWC, which he chaired.
The Abuja division of the court of appeal had on Monday ordered a stay of execution of an Abuja High Court that on March 4 restrained Oshiomhole from parading himself as the national chairman of the party having purportedly been suspended by his ward in Edo state.
Presiding over the NWC meeting, Comrade Oshiomhole who visibly appeared repentant assured members of the party that he bore no ill feelings against anybody no matter the role anybody played in the ill-fated attempt to oust him as the national chairman of the party.
Going down memory lane to drive home his point, Oshiomhole said, “In all the NWC since June 21st, 2018 when I was elected into office, this is the one that has attracted more cameras such that I have to stand up otherwise you won’t be able to see me. I do understand that the event of the last few weeks particularly arising from our last NWC meeting that was held on the 14th of January and since then, even if we pretend about it, the truth is we have had challenges within our system.”
He continued, “But as one who has worked from one voluntary organisation, those things are not strange to me. What will be strange is to have a governing party as large as our party coming from the background that we all came from – different background, different aspirations, etcetera, but we have bonded together by a shared vision of building a party that is based on the principle of socio democracy – pro-people, pro-poor, one that is committed to ensuring that the instrument of state is used to deliver the greatest good to the greatest number and that’s is why consciously our part chose to be called All Progressives. This party belongs to all the progressives elements in Nigeria society who wish to join our party.”
Delving into the difference between the political parties, he opined that “It is traditional if you reviewed the traditional literature. Parties that are more to the left – the left means parties that are more concerned with social issues, pro-people; they tend to have more contestation than the conservative parties, where their principle is based on survival of the fittest.”
“What binds us together in this party is a lot more than the sum total of all the challenges that anybody can speak to. Of course, you and I know that when I watch the TV and I’m sure that you do too and you listen to some commentaries, you will even find some who are not members of our party pronouncing with finality on issues of our party.”
Ashiomhole seems to think that the reason for the fractious nature of the APC is due to their progressive politics. “Let me give you an example, between the last NWC meeting and now, there was a judgment in Kogi state where PDP candidates were nullified, the court said PDP did not conduct a proper primary, I don’t remember seeing anything on one of those popular channels discussing the crisis in PDP. Their primary has been nullified because it was fraught with primary and so on. They accepted their judgment as if nothing has happened. If it were to be our party, our opponent, the PDP will instigate stories.”
Also pleading with members to show understanding he said, “So, we do not lay claim to a family that has members who will be so docile that they can argue among themselves or even sometimes who really want to fight. That is the hallmark of democracy.
It can only be unusual when we fight each other, we quarrel with one another, we develop that level of animosity that we become incapable of sitting down, putting on our thinking cap, reminding ourselves that what binds us together is much more than whatever divides us.”
Those in attendance at the tensed NWC meeting included: the Deputy National Chairman and former Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Acting National Secretary, Chief Victor Giadom, National Women Leader, Hajiya Salamatu Baiwa, National Organising Secretary, Chief Emma Ibediro, National Vice Chairman South-South, Hilliard Eta, National Treasurer, Adamu Panda, National Legal Adviser, Babatunde Ogala, National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu and National Auditor, Paul Chukwuma.
Also in attendance were: the suspended National Vice Chairman North West Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, the National Vice Chairman North East, Comrade Salihu Mustapha, National Vice Chairman, South West, Pastor Bankole Oluwajana, the Acting National Auditor, National Secretary for the Physically challenged person, Alhaji Misbua Lawal Didi, National Financial Secretary, Alhaji Bello Tajudeen, National Welfare Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Masari and National Youth Leader, Alhaji Sadiq Abubakar.
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