Reprieve came the way of the embattled National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, penultimate Tuesday, following the lifting of his suspension from office by the Appeal Court, Abuja.
An Abuja High Court had earlier suspended Oshiomhole from office as APC national chairman, following his suspension from the party in his ward in Edo State. Oshiomhole has been in and out of courts in recent days in what many political analysts and watchers of political events have described as “shame of a party in power.”
He first approached a Kano High Court, which overturned his suspension before many told him that a court of equal jurisdiction could not overturn an order made. He thereafter approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which, expectedly, has given him a reprieve.
Political analysts have, however, informed Nigerians that the end to the APC crisis seems not to be in sight. The past weeks have shown the APC as an undisciplined party and one with no powerful leaders and disciplined structure to ensure the exhaustion of the internal mechanism for resolving dispute. That members of the party approach court for matters that could ordinarily have been resolved through its top hierarchy showed that President Muhamadu Buhari has also failed to carry out his duties as the de facto national leader of the party.
A political Commentator, Comrade Biodun Ali, described APC and what we have seen of it in recent weeks as “A party with no Board of Trustees and no clear structure on how to resolve internal crisis. The so called National Leadership position given to Senator Bola Tinubu is also a creation of the media as there is no such position in their party’s constitution. His (Bola Tinubu) reaction to the crisis through a media release also lacked leadership quality. He was more like a sectional warlord rather than a leader trying to persuade two sides in a conflict to sheathe their swords.”
Of course, the postponement of the National Executive Committee’s meeting on March 17, 2019 offered Oshiomhole the saving grace to return to the saddle as he superintended a National Working Committee meeting, where he acknowledged his mistakes, sued for peace and extended the olive branch to aggrieved leaders of the party, aiming at his jugular.
It was gathered that Oshiomhole was able to retain his seat, but was warned by the Presidency to hands off Edo and allow Governor Obaseki to be in real charge of the state. The Oshiomhole of the past few days has also been seen to have toned down his combative posture.
He told journalists after the NWC meeting that his adversaries had agreed to withdraw all cases from the courts.
“We have also resolved that we are going to withdraw all cases in court that any member of the NWC is involved in so that we must lead by example and we have shown that we are capable of managing ourselves and, therefore, we do not need the court to help us resolve what we are capable of resolving,” he said.
LIFTING OF SUSPENSIONS
To pacify his adversaries, Oshiomhole also announced that the NWC had lifted the suspensions it slammed on some of its members.
According to him,“People had issues, which they felt strongly about, and as a result, the NWC took some decisions which affected my friend and brother, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy National Chairman, and North. The NWC had a reason for suspending him as at then. Today, we have reviewed the situation and we believe that in the spirit of our renewed commitment to building unity and true reconciliation, we as leaders of the party elected at the convention should live by example. And that means for those we think have offended the system, we have chosen to lift their suspensions. Sen. Lawal Shuaibu can resume his duties as Deputy National Chairman, North.
“We also reviewed the matter of Inuwa Abdulkadir, National Vice Chairman Northwest. By the same spirit, the NWC was unanimous in lifting the suspension and he resumes work with immediate effect. So, with these two decisions, the two members of the NWC who were suspended, their suspensions have now been lifted.”
While pleading for forgiveness, Oshiomhole said, “I have asked everyone to forgive me and they have accepted, whatever they considered to be my own shortcomings, I have asked for forgiveness and they have forgiven and whatever I considered to be anyone’s shortcoming that irritated me, I have also forgiven. This is the way it should be. It can only be abnormal if people know how to fight and they do not know how to settle.”
The question now, however, is how Oshiomhole’s traducers have received the olive branch he has waved at them. One of those opposed to Oshiomhole threw some light on this when he said Obaseki remained APC’s best option in Edo
But will Oshiomhole buckle down and allow Obaseki to have an easy ride to a second term in office, just for him to retain his position as APC National Chairman? How will other governors who see Oshiomhole as a stumbling block to their future ambition in 2023 take this new development? Will peace return to the APC or the bickering will continue as we march towards 2023? These and more questions will be answered in coming days.
