Punch Newspapers has reported that there may be an end to the post primaries crisis within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as major party stalwarts plan to meet next week to determine the fate of its embattled national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole.
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According to sources within the party confirmed that there had been a meeting between Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Adams Oshiomole in France; President Buhari is also expected to be in the country.
According to the party source, the focus of that meeting had been the grievances of party members, especially the governors who want him out of office as a fall out of the recently concluded party primaries.
“Tinubu and Oshiomole met in Paris on Thursday over attempts by governors and some members of the NWC to remove the party chairman. You will recall that it was Asiwaju who paved the way for the emergence of Oshiomole as the chairman when Chief Oyegun wanted a tenure extension.
Now that he has come under probe by the DSS and is being asked to step aside, he has run to Tinubu to save him. It remains unclear what their strategy will be to put a stop to the probe.” The source said
Another source within the APC confirmed that some of the aggrieved governors had asked the National Committee of the Party to remove Oshiomole pending the outcome of the DSS investigations.
“The fact that Oshiomole is under investigation for allegedly collecting money from aspirants is bad for the image of the APC government which claims to be fighting corruption.
It is for this reason that the NWC members are being asked (by interested parties) to push for the suspension of the APC chairman pending the outcome of the probe. The President’s body language and actions in the coming days will determine Oshiomole’s fate.
For now, we are still considering it but we don’t want to make any hasty decision until we are sure that we have the President’s backing.” The source said.
It was also revealed that high ranking party leaders would meet next week to decide the best way to proceed without tarnishing the party’s image further in the public sphere.
The leaders expected at that meeting include; President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Tinubu, pioneer Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (as former chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party), and Prince Tony Momoh (former National Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change).
A party source had confirmed the meeting saying;
“The matter is receiving attention at the highest level. We cannot pretend, the situation involving our national chairman is already in public domain.
His invitation and subsequent interrogation by the Department of State Services, is an indictment if you ask me; but you cannot pronounce a man guilty without giving him the right of fair hearing.
The leadership meeting will take place because as you know, we don’t have a Board of Trustees in place. Mr. President as the leader of the party who in fact, has personally taken over the process of dealing with the post- primary crisis is convening the meeting to deal with all these issues.”