APC crisis: Giadom’s adoption divides North-East governors

BARELY 48 hours to the much- anticipated meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the South-South stakeholders adoption of the acting national secretary, Victor Giadom, as replacement for the embattled national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, may have run into a hitch.

Investigation revealed that just as the agitation to oust the displaced Oshiomhole has polarised the rank of the Progressives Governors Forum, the umbrella body of governors on the APC platform, Thursday’s resolution by the South- South governors’ pushing for Giadom is becoming a hard sell among the governors.

The South-South leaders, at a meeting convened by the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, had in their resolution appealed to the APC NEC members to consider retaining the exalted position of the national chairman of the party in the South-South zone.

They went further to recommend the acting national secretary of the party, Honourable Victor Giadom, who is from Rivers State, for the office, “even in an acting capacity.”

A party source hinted the Sunday Tribune that two of the governors in the North-East zone have kicked against the adoption.

The source mentioned the Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum and his Gombe State counterpart, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya as kicking against the choice of Giadom.

He said: “Where Governor Zulum stands on this crisis is an open secret. He doesn’t want Oshiomhole disgraced out of office.  For the Gombe State governor, he hopes the party can start on a clean slate with a chairman who has not been marked to belong to any of the contending camps. But to me, that is a tall dream.”

Zulum’s neighbour and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, is, however, in league with a majority of the governors pushing for the Oshiomhole’s ouster.

Governor Buni, who incidentally is the immediate past national secretary of the party, is pushing for the retention of the office in his state as against the choice of Waziri Bulama from Borno State who was announced as the new national secretary on the eve of the Justice Danlami Senchi order that sacked Oshiomhole.

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National vice chairman North-East, Salihu Mustapha, however, told Sunday Tribune in a telephone interview that the three governors from the zone were on the same page that the NEC meeting should hold.

“The party is being embarrassed by various conflicting court judgments and only the NEC can resolve the issue. I hope you are aware that two governors in the zone signed resolution that the NEC must hold.”

Asked if he was aware that the governors in his zone were divided on the resolution by South- South leaders that the acting national secretary, Giadom, should be proclaimed on Tuesday as acting national chairman, the North-East zonal chairman aligned himself with the South- South leaders as he said that their demand was in order.

“Only Governor Zulum has reservations about this because of his interest in Waziri Bulama to be national secretary through the backdoor.

“The South-South leaders are right. Go and check our party’s constitution.  In the absence of national chairman, the deputy national chairman (North and South) and substantive national secretary, the acting national secretary takes charge.

“Incidentally, Victor Giadom is from the same zone as Oshiomhole.  He should take the position by virtue of provisions of the constitution.”

The pro-Oshiomhole forces are, however, in final mop up,  mobilising support of strategic members of NEC.

Investigation revealed that, while support for the axed national chairman at NEC has always come handy from the Forum of State chairmen with generous backing of a former Lagos State governor and national leader of the party, it has since been infiltrated by anti-Oshiomhole governors.

Indication that it has been fractured emerged during the week as a statement issued by its chairman, Ben Nwoye and secretary, Honourable Ali Bukar Dolari, passing vote of confidence was disclaimed by the publicity secretary of the Forum,  Honourable  Lawal Liman.

Further investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed that the battle to seal Oshiomhole’s fate would be fought and won at a meeting of another strategic organ of the party, the national caucus.

The meeting of the caucus  always precedes the gathering of the NEC and the state chairmen are not members of National Caucus.

By the provision of Article 12.5(xvi), “Past and present Governors of the States of the Federation, who are members of the party,” are members of the NEC.