The Progressives Governors Forum has asked the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman Adams Oshiomhole to convene a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to address the party’s challenges or resign his position.
“It is either Comrade Oshiomhole respect the provision of the party constitution and convene superior organ meeting to deliberate on all our challenges, or he should just accept his inability to manage the party and simply resign,” Progressives Governor Forum Director-General Salihu Mohammed Lukman said in a statement.
“In the current circumstance, nothing short of an NEC or National Caucus meeting of the party can resolve all our increasing organisational challenges as a party.”
Lukman’s criticism comes a day after APC Edo State chapter suspended Oshiomhole.
In Oshiomhole’s suspension letter, Edo State APC chairman Anselm Ojezua accused him of being behind the party’s internal crisis.
Prior to this, there had been a growing internal crisis within the APC before and after the 2019 general elections.
Some of the party’s aspirants that lost their primary elections of different political offices passed a vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole and accused him of corruption.
The APC was denied participation in Zamfara and Rivers State governorship election following court rulings that the APC in both states failed to conduct credible primary elections. Oshiomhole was largely blamed for the incidents.
Lukman said Oshiomhole ought to focus on working to win elections for the party but had lost grip of the party with local politics in Edo State.
While Oshiomhole and Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki still have unresolved differences, Lukman said it is painful to see Oshiomhole devalue himself to a local factional leader from a very high pedestal of an illustrious national leader.
“What legacy is Comrade Oshiomhole hoping to achieve as a National Chairman by running the party in a way that suggests almost zero commitment to issues of party development?” Lukman queried.
He opined that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) headed by Oshiomhole has become a shadow of itself after losing members to appointment into government offices and controversial suspensions.
