>
Victor Oshioke, an aide to Adams Oshiomhole, former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said his principal is not planning to lead the ruling party again.
Oshioke stated this in a statement, while reacting to a report that the former governor of Edo State is making a comeback as the APC national chairman.
The APC National Working Committee (NWC) led by Oshiomhole was dissolved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in June 2020, following a protracted leadership crisis.
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, was subsequently appointed by NEC to lead a caretaker committee of the party.
In the statement, Oshioke described the report as a “nonsensical suggestion.”
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), who is now a member of the APC and self-styled aide of Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi.
“In the said statement widely reported in the media, Chief Eze was quoted as saying that Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), Hon. Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and others were plotting to bring back Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman of the APC.
“Ordinarily we would have ignored this nonsensical suggestion. However, it is pertinent to set the records straight and put to rest this ridiculous falsehood being marketed by Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.
“Festus Keyamo was at the forefront and indeed provided legal support through his legal assistants who went to court and argued on behalf of those that filed cases for the removal of Oshiomhole as national chairman of the APC.
“Keyamo also offered legal advice on the legality of the NEC that was convened for the dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee of APC and emergence of the Governor Mai-Mala Buni led Caretaker Committee.
“It is, therefore, frivolous for any right-thinking person to assume that Mr. Keyamo, who actively supported the removal of the national chairman elected by over 6, 500 party delegates from across the 36 states and the FCT, would now plot to bring the same Oshiomhole back to the office.
“It is strange that a serving minister would share on social media platforms what he captioned as a “private and confidential” legal opinion for Mr. President who appointed him, especially considering that he was in the political kitchen when the pot of crisis he is now offering advice on was being cooked.
“The truth is that Mr. Keyamo seems to have lost out in the power play and failed to secure the benefits he anticipated in Oshiomhole’s removal from office with the consequent dissolution of the NWC and other structures of the party. This is the main reason for his self-serving new legal opinion which contradicts his earlier stance.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole will not be part of any plot to destabilize or ridicule the party in any way or for any reason. He takes serious exemptions to his name being dragged into an issue that he has no hand in,” the statement read.