APC crisis mars Senate screening, as Amosun, Okorocha chide ambassadorial nominees

Aggrieved chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who reportedly lost out in the power game at the party national secretariat under the leadership of its axed national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday took their pound of flesh from a perceived footsoldier of the former APC national chairman.

The screening of the 41 non- career and one career Ambassadorial nominees across the various states of the federation was almost marred as Senators Ibikunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha, senators representing Ogun central and Imo West, respectively took the nominee from Edo State, Mr Yamah Mohammed Musa to task over the assignment he was saddled with as a member of the Committee that conducted the primary for the APC House of Representatives aspirants in the House West.

Mr Musa who incidentally is from Edo state as Comrade Oshiomhole has mentioned his contributions to the ruling party in Edo state and his national assignment having been asked by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa representing Bauchi North.

Musa said he ensured total victory for candidates of APC in his state during the 2019 general elections and did justice to national assignments given him at the time by the party national leadership.

“I was in the forefront of party members who conducted primary elections for all our House of Representatives candidates in the South West, one of whom is the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.

“I also led the committee that conducted the APC primaries in Akwa Ibom aside other national assignments which contributed to the success of the party at the polls.”

He was however countered by the immediate past governor of Ogun state who dismissed the primaries conducted in the south-west at the instance of Comrade Oshiomhole led national working committee as a charade.

He warned the ambassadorial nominee not to mention his involvement in APC primary in the south-west as an achievement before the Senate Committee.

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He said: “I am from the south-west and I know all that took place during the so-called primaries perpetrated by your committee and those who assigned you then.

“Please, such exercise is not something you should be referring to as achievement because as party members, we knew what happened then and those behind it.

“We don’t want you to carry this type of mindset to foreign post if eventually confirmed, so the earlier, you erased such unbecoming assignments as personal achievements, the better.”

Former Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha spoke in the same vein as he cautioned the nominee to refrain from mentioning his involvement in the APC primaries as an achievement anywhere.

“You are here to be screened and possibly confirmed as an ambassador to represent Nigeria. Anywhere you are later posted by the President and reminding us of worst primaries elections ever conducted by a political party in Nigeria under a man that had been sent away now

“Hope you are not being rewarded for the sham you called primaries and injustice done against loyal party members. Don’t ever mention that again or remind people of such stage-managed assignments be it in Nigeria or wherever you are posted to, or else, I will move against your nomination.”

The Chairman of the Committee later came to the rescue of the nominee as he pleaded with his colleagues to allow the nominee to take a bow and go.

Others screened by the Committee were Ademola Seriki from Lagos State, Engineer Umar Suleiman from Adamawa, Major Gen C.O Ugwu from Enugu State and Mr Kelvin Peter Adamu from Adamawa, amongst others.

The Committee will continue with its assignment on Thursday.

TribuneOnline checks revealed that both Senators Amosun and Okorocha were suspended for anti-party activities by the Comrade Oshiomhole led NWC until it was reversed by the National Executive Committee of the party.

The duo of Adekunle Akinlade and Uche Nwosu anointed candidates of Senators Amosun and Okorocha lost out in the party primaries conducted to produce governorship candidates for the APC in Ogun and Imo states.

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