[dropcap]P[/dropcap]lots by APC governors to remove  Oshiomhole  thickens  every minutes, if President Muhammadu Buhari  fails to steps in,the  plot to remove the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, from office will reach a crescendo in a few weeks’ time.

But chairmen of the party in the South South states have blamed the immediate past national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, for the plight of the incumbent chairman, Oshiomhole.

The chairmen passed a vote of confidence on Oshiomhole and vowed to resist any attempt to blackmail him out of office for standing against injustice which they said was the hallmark of his predecessor.

The statement was jointly signed by the six South – South APC state chairmen namely, Ini T. Okopido, Akwa Ibom State; Amos Lalabunafa, Bayelsa State; Mr. John Ochalla, Cross Rivers State.

Others were Prophet Jones Ode Erue, Delta State; Aslem U. Ojezua, Edo State and Ojukaye Flag Amachree, Rivers State.

Governors behind the move to remove Oshiomhole are belching smoke and will soon set their foot soldiers loose to start demanding for a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

A party source told Saturday Tribune in confidence that a letter released on Tuesday by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, Senator Lawan Shaibu, was part of the coordinated plot to put the perceived mismanagement of the party by the former Edo State governor on the front burner.

The source said further that the anti-Oshiomhole forces, who have infiltrated his National Working Committee (NWC) and succeeded in winning certain aggrieved members to their camp, were actually waiting for an auspicious time to strike in a few months’ time until a recent move by the party chairman compelled them to review their plan and move swiftly.

The source disclosed that the composition of a five-man committee announced on Monday was the last straw which angered the enemy camp as it was perceived as a deft move by Oshiomhole to axe more chieftains of the party.

Checks revealed that Oshiomhole had set up the committee to “review the numerous petitions on anti-party activities of some members from the states.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Isa-Onilu, in a statement, disclosed that the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Niyi Adebayo, would lead the committee.

The statement said the setting up of the committee became necessary following “several petitions alleging various forms of anti-party activities by some members, including working against the party or our candidates in the just concluded elections.”

The committee, which has one week to submit its report, has as members, National Vice Chairman (South-West), Mr Bankole Oluwajana; National Legal Adviser, Babatunde Ogala; National Treasurer, Adamu Fanda and National Disabled Leader, Misbau Lawal Didi.

“Coming a few months after the suspension of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Rochas Okorocha and Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, his targets were able to read between the lines and they took a counter move,” the source noted.

Further findings by Saturday Tribune showed that Senator Kabiru Marafa; the immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Abdul Aziz Yari and other protagonists in the crisis that rocked the Zamfara State chapter of the party are expected to be reprimanded by the Adebayo-led committee.

The Supreme Court, last week, in its ruling on the litigations that trailed the controversial primaries conducted by the party in Zamfara State, upheld the decision of the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal to the effect that the APC did not conduct any valid primary election and as such, had no candidates for any of the elections in the state.

The apex court consequently declared that the party with candidates with the second highest votes and spread in the various elections were the valid winners of the governorship and National Assembly and House of Assembly elections and should be issued with certificates of return.

2023: Govs infiltrate APC NWC?

With the emergence of Oshiomhole, loyalists of the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu and his defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) were perceived to be in firm control of the APC, leading to complaints in hushed tones by remnants of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and President Muhammadu Buhari’s defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Saturday Tribune’s checks revealed that besides the former Edo State governor, Senator Shuaibu, who wrote the letter demanding Oshiomhole’s removal, and Chief Adebayo were members of the defunct ACN.

The national secretary of the party, Malam Mai Buni, who was in the defunct ANPP, has since vacated the office, having emerged as the Yobe State governor. Stalwarts of Buhari’s CPC have since embarked on the project to install Waziri Bulama from Borno State as replacement for Malam Buni as the national secretary.

Bulama was the Deputy Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and he is from the North-East.

But governors in the North-West led by Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai and his Zamfara State counterpart, Abdul Aziz Yari, who vacated office on Tuesday, may have succeeded in winning aggrieved Senator Ahmed Lawan to their camp.

Incidentally, Lawan is from Zamfara State and the Supreme Court judgment has since stripped the APC of the governorship ticket, three Senate seats, seven House of Representatives seats and 23 seats in the state House of Assembly.

A party source told Grassroots Publishers that there is mutual distrust between Adebayo and Oshiomhole as the Tinubu camp believes the former Ekiti State governor was “donated” to the party’s national secretariat by the trio of the immediate past Ogun State governor, Senator Amosun, Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu and his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr Kayode Fayemi. There has been speculation of an el-Rufai/Fayemi presidential ticket in 2023.

Forum of state chairmen divided

Findings revealed that the Tinubu forces are banking on the forum of state chairmen of the party to stave off the plot to unseat the embattled former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

By virtue of the APC constitution (2014, as amended), the 36 state chapter chairmen and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are members of the party’s NEC and their support for the immediate past national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, sustained him in the office for a long time.

The governors have since pulled the rug off Oshiomhole’s feet, having succeeded in polarising their ranks as only a few of them from less than eight states have spoken in defence of Oshiomhole since the plot to remove him became public knowledge.

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]eputy National Chairman, North ,Senator Lawal Shuaibu, All Progressives Congress (APC) , has called on the party’s National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole to resign for allegedly failing to add any value to the APC since his election.
Shuaibu, in a letter dated May 27 and addressed to Oshiomhole, accused the chairman of incompetence, high handedness and immaturity in his handling of the affairs of the party.
In the letter made available to newsmen at the party’s National Secretariat on Tuesday in Abuja, Shuaibu noted that the APC had lost control of seven states under Oshiomhole,
“I am a critical stakeholder in the APC project and therefore, have a stake for which I reserve the right to write this letter to you.
“This is however, in addition to my being a legitimately elected Deputy National Chairman, North at the last National Convention, and not because I have any higher stake in APC than any other member.”
According to him, Oshiomhole lacked the capacity and necessary composure to lead the party.
He noted that the respect and sympathy the APC used to enjoy among its members and sympathies before Oshiomhole emerged as its Chairman had been eroded.
“It is my honest opinion that your ability to ensure this party flourishes is deficient as you lack the necessary composure and you also don’t possess the capabilities and requisite experience to run a political party.
“The respect APC was commanding among its members and sympathisers have been completely eroded, while the goodwill has equally evaporated,” he stated.
This, he added, was especially so because of Oshiomhole’s attitude of threats to party members, including governors, senators, ministers and other government officials whose functions did not fall within his jurisdiction.
Shuaibu stressed that the party and government were supposed to cooperate and collaborate to ensure that government programmes were implemented in line with the party’s manifesto.
He descried the attitude of shouting and giving marching instructions to government officials on television and on the pages of newspapers by  the APC national chairman.
He, however, said he was not criticising Oshiomhole’s conduct and style of leadership because he wanted to be the party’s chairman, but because of the love he has for the party.
He added that even if he wanted to be the APC national chairman, he could not be as long as President Muhammadu Buhari is in office, having come from the same North West geo-political zone.
“In advanced democracies, people who failed to add value or build over and above what they met on assumption of duty show some civilised examples, they honourably bow out.
“In that connection therefore, I want to advise you to take the path of honour, to step aside.
“I have nothing personal, except that I love this party and cannot keep quiet seeing it being brutally murdered,” Shuaibu said.
He argued that Oshiomhole’s resignation was critical to allow the party to embark on reconstruction and rehabilitation in states it was weakened by the effect and manner of the last primary elections,
According to him, the party is on the path of extinction in some states following the conduct of its last primaries.
This, he said, included the loss of a sitting APC government in Zamfara, where according to him, Oshiomhole directly created the problem that led to the complete loss of APC’s electoral fortunes in the state.
“All these are uncontestable facts; you cannot exonerate yourself from blame on what happened to APC in Zamfara, thereby destroying the hopes and aspirations of 534,541 APC members and supporters.
“Apart from the President, more than 60 per cent of members including those that contested elections under the APC in 2019 are not happy with the process as it left a lot to be desired.
“We have court cases in every state, by far much more than it was in 2015 and I wonder how much money the party is likely to spend on litigations arising from mistakes of the national chairman,” he said.
Shuaibu noted that the strength of every political party was on the number of states it won during elections, adding that the APC had 23 states in 2015, but lost seven after the 2019 elections.
Efforts to get Oshiomhole’s reaction through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Simon Ebegbulem, proved abortive as he did not pick his call.