BREAKING: We will respect court judgment suspending Oshiomhole ― APC

The acting national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Victor Giadom, has said the national working committee would respect court judgment asking the embattled national chairman of the ruling party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to vacate his seat.

Justice Danlami Senchi of the Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Wednesday, asked Congress Oshiomhole to vacate his office, pending the determination of a suit seeking his removal as national chairman of the ruling party.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, Giadom said the party would defer to all lawful court judgments.

He said: “The injunction is binding on us. We will respect the judgment. As a party, we are aware of the injunction. As a law-abiding party, we will respect all lawful court orders. Very soon the National Working Committee will meet and you will hear further from the party. I am trying to say that the All Progressives Congress will respect all lawful court orders. We will soon do that.”

Asked about heavy police presence, Honourable Giadom said it was nothing unusual.

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“There is nothing new about that. There have always been security at the National Secretariat of the party. But Comrade Oshiomhole’s court removal may have thrown up a constitutional dilemma over who presides over the administration of the party in an acting capacity.”

Tribune Online checks revealed that by the provision of Article 14.2 of the APC Constitution 2010(as amended) the Deputy National Chairman, South should assume the exalted office of Chairman of the party in an acting capacity.

Article 14.2( i, ii, iii) stipulates the functions of the Deputy National Chairman, North/ South.

It reads in part: ”Assist the national chairman in the discharge of his duties; Perform such functions as may be assigned to him from time to time by the National Working Committee; Shall act as the national chairman in the absence of the national chairman from his Zone.”

Further checks revealed that the positions of deputy national chairman, South and North have been vacant.

The erstwhile deputy national chairman, South Otunba Niyi Adebayo, had since resigned from office having emerged as Minister of Trade and Investment in the Federal Executive Council.

His counterpart for the North, Senator Shuaib Lawan, had been placed on suspension by the national working committee sequel to his cold war with Comrade Oshiomhole.

There has been no replacement for the immediate past national secretary, Mallam Mala Buni, who is the incumbent governor of Yobe State having won election as governor of the North-East state in the last governorship elections.

A party source revealed that plot by Comrade Oshiomhole to impose his anointed choice, Architect Waziri Bulama, as the anointed choice for the seat zoned to the North-East has met with stiff resistance from the North-East zonal chairman, Salihu Mustapha and other stakeholders from the zone.