By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – A member of the newly constituted caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Yusuf Yusuf, who spoke on behalf of the committee, has described Oshiomhole as a union activist who had passion for leadership but had his passion to solve problem derailed by bad advisers.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Yusuf, who is also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, said, “I respect Adams Oshiomhole but circumstances breed circumstances. He came and he tried to solve the problem but certain problems came up, and he is an activist. You will not take that away from him. He has passion.
“Whatever he is doing, he is passionate about it. But probably the advisers around him did not advise him well; I don’t know, but we will look into it and see how we are going to solve the problem. For me, we are saving Nigeria and not only the APC.”
Yusuf said members of the dissolved NWC might be reelected if they embrace peace and drop their proposed legal action against their sacking.
The senator, who confirmed that the panel would be inaugurated at the party secretariat in Abuja on Monday by noon, said committee members had started reaching out to the aggrieved members.
He added, “Of course, we will meet our brothers and talk to them. If they don’t go to court, they will consider them and say these are good family members, come back and contest. We are coming to find a solution. In the next six months, every APC member will be involved. Nobody will be excluded because that has been the major problem.”
On allegations that APC governors had taken over the party affairs, Yusuf admitted they were very relevant to the party. “Whatever you are doing, can you extricate the governors? Assess that interim management and tell me who is controversial or has taken sides.”
Sacked Oshiomhole-led NWC yields to pressure, dumps court action
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole and the 16 members of the defunct NWC loyal to him have accepted their dissolution by NEC.
Oshiomhole, at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, declared allegiance to Buhari and the party now under the leadership of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker /Convention Planning Committee.
He said, “At the end of the NEC meeting as you all know, the NWC was dissolved and accordingly I ceased to be the national chairman of the APC.
“Mr President graciously invited me to run for the office in 2018. The President told me then that if we do not reform the APC, we can as well forget about the party.”
Asked if he had regrets, he said, “You know that reforms are challenging and it will entail taking difficult decisions. Mine has been a life of trouble and I accepted this and I believe I did my best.
“I’m happy that at the end of the day, our President had more votes in 2019 than in 2015. We have more members in the National Assembly.
The former chairman expressed delight that he achieved one of his set objectives, especially producing a National Assembly which would work harmoniously with the executive to deliver on the party’s campaign promises.
He also said he was not going into the legality or otherwise of his unceremonious ouster, noting that he had accepted his fate. He noted he gave the party his best.
‘Buhari invited me to lead party, presided over meeting that sacked me’
Oshiomhole also said the President was instrumental to his emergence as the party chair in 2018, adding that he also presided over the NEC meeting that sacked his team.
He added, “The bottom line is that the President who invited me to lead the party and who mobilised all the support for my emergence as chairman also presided over the meeting where the NWC has now been dissolved.
“As a demonstration of my loyalty to Mr President, our party and Nigeria, I have decided to accept the decision in good faith and to maintain my loyalty, respect and admiration for President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Accordingly, I have instructed my lawyers to withdraw my case that is currently pending at the Supreme Court which has to do with the issue of my suspension. To sustain the legal action would be tantamount to disobeying one of the decisions that the President has made. I have a duty to live by example. I have taken a bow and accept the decision of the NEC.”
Members of the defunct NWC also announced their decision to accept their fate. They said this in a statement jointly signed by the former Acting National Chairman, Hilliard Eta and Acting National Secretary, Waziri Bulama.
The group recalled that they had informed the public that they were embarking on consultations.
They added, “The feedback from our consultative engagements is that we wholeheartedly accept the decision of the NEC. We have already begun engaging the caretaker committee and assure all that we will not contest their authority but instead work selflessly with the team in its peace and consensus building efforts within our party.”
Earlier, the former National Vice Chairman, South-West, Bankole Oluwajana, said, “The dissolution of the NWC is a move to end the lingering crisis and needless court cases. Events in the last few months have created unnecessary distractions that needed to be stopped.”
He also appealed to members of the party in the zone to unite ahead of 2023.
Also, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Yekini Nabena, in a statement called for support for the new caretaker committee, while appealing to other party members with pending cases in court to withdraw them to enable the party move forward.
Culled from Punch
