APC crisis gets messier as Oyegun asks Buhari, govs to save democracy

The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) grew messier yesterday after two claims emerged on the suspension of its National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Whereas one claim said the suspension had been lifted by the executives of Oshiomhole’s APC Ward 10, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo who visited Abuja, a counter position came from Benin-City.

This happened on a day a former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari, the party’s governors and other well-meaning stakeholders to immediately invoke the “doctrine of necessity”and set up a Caretaker Committee to take over the affairs of the party.

Separately, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejected the demand of the court endorsed ‘acting National Chairman’ of the APC, Chief Victor Giadom, to stay away from the governorship primary election of the party in Edo State scheduled for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Rivers State Chapter of the party has written the South-South Zonal Executive Committee, indicating its resolve to fill the office of the Deputy National secretary purportedly occupied by Giadom.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary at the APC, Mr Yekini Nabena, pointedly accused a Minister and a governor of being behind the crisis rocking the party.

The APC crisis spread to Ondo State where the deputy governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi, has reportedly perfected plans to defect to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today.

The ruling party at the federal level and several states across Nigeria had been enmeshed in leadership crisis since the Court of Appeal upheld the suspension order on Oshiomhole by a High Court in Abuja last Tuesday.

The development has since thrown up three different acting Chairman including Giadom.

The party had, before the suspension of Oshiomhole was upheld by the appellate court, disqualified Governor Godwin Obaseki who was seeking second term in the September governorship election in Edo State on the platform of the party, on the grounds of defective academic credentials.

The APC consequently lost Obaseki who has moved his political structure to the PDP where he hopes to realise his ambition.