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APC Crisis: Chieftains Press For Oshiomhole’s Resignation …Say He’ll Destroy Party
Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has backed the call for the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
It would be recalled that the Deputy National Chairman of the APC (North), Lawal Shuaib, had last Tuesday, urged Oshiomhole to tender his resignation letter following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the party’s primaries in Zamfara State.
In a letter he had made public few days ago, Lawal said the APC national chairman has performed below expectation, and therefore, should resign.
However, Shittu said if Oshiomhole was allowed to remain, APC would go down when President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term was over.
Speaking with newsmen on the call for Oshiomole’s resignation, the former minister said, “I endorse it.”
He said, “The truth is with Oshiomhole this party would go down by the time President Muhammadu Buhari finishes his 2nd term.
“Oshiomhole is full of himself and he has an ego problem, and wants to dominate every environment, and democracy is not like that.
“I know that many of us who are conscionable members of the party who think of the future of this party, and the fact that this party should continue to be relevant even after President Muhammadu Buhari has left office, I would stand by this call. We are concerned and everything that we can do to force him out, we will do it”
Meanwhile, another leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, to step aside in the interest of the party.
A chieftain of the APC in Rivers State, Kingsley Wali, who is the latest to make this call, said Oshiomhole was responsible for the predicament the party suffered in different parts of the country in the build-up to the just-concluded general elections.
Wali, who is a lawyer, said that APC as a party should take a collective decision to ease out Oshiomhole to avert further damage to its fortunes.
He stated that the APC national chairman has been running a one-man show which is not in tandem with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I have been consistent with my view that Adams Oshiomhole was 95 per cent responsible for the problems APC had. You have a man who believes that whatever he says is final and then turned a political party to a labour union.
“For me, if Oshiomhole is a responsible person which I doubt because I can tell you for free, Zamfara may not be the end of the story. There are a lot of cases in court.
“The reasonable thing for APC as a party to do is to ask Oshiomhole to vacate his seat so that a new orientation can come in that will help the party move forward.
“If we insist on characterising the Next Level slogan of the APC, the attitude that Adams Oshiomhole exhibited cannot be in tandem with the present vision of Nigeria. The man was running a one-man show.
“In every decent political clime, once you lead a party and the party did not perform well you have to go. Let us not delude ourselves because we won the presidency, what about the governorship seats.
“What is in the public domain is that Adams Oshiomhole is hell-bent on making sure that Obaseki doesn’t come back, Yahaya Bello doesn’t come back, Akeredolu doesn’t come back, I don’t know his interest in Bayelsa State.
“In every democracy, the sitting President or the sitting governor is given a right of first refusal. It will interest you to know that the Deputy National Chairman of APC, Senator Lawal Shuaibu had in a letter requested that the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole should resign for leading the party to failure in the 2019 elections.”
Also, the dust generated by the call by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress APC, Senator Lawali Shuaibu asking the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to resign is yet to settle.
This is because yesterday, national officers of the party who are not members of its National Working Committee NWC demanded an urgent interface with the NWC to discuss the matter. The officers are however members of the APC National Executive Committee NEC.
The party officials under the aegis of forum of Non-National Working Committee (Non-NWC) in a letter signed by their Chairman, Alhaji Nasiru Danu and the Secretary, Hon. Omolayo O. Akintola, said the meeting had become necessary to discuss emerging issues before they get out of hand.
There have been calls by some stakeholders of the party asking the NWC to convene a NEC meeting to resolve issues which arose from the conduct of the last general elections and also forge a common front ahead of the composition of the next cabinet by President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, in the leaked letter dated 29th May, 2019 and titled: “Demand for an urgent interface with NWC organ of our party-APC” and addressed to the National Chairman, the national officers said the meeting is “principally to address critical issues affecting our great party before such issues go out of hands which could be inimical to the general welfare of the party.”
The forum said it would have called for such meeting earlier, “but we considered the concluded 2019 general elections as determinant or our Party’s survival which had come and gone with successes and losses.
“This body rose from her today‘s (29-05-2019) emergency meeting shortly after the Presidential inauguration ceremony held at the Eagle Square, Abuja and concluded the following request be made.
The forum said it would have called for such meeting earlier, “but we considered the concluded 2019 general elections as determinant or our Party’s survival which had come and gone with successes and losses.
“This body rose from her today‘s (29-05-2019) emergency meeting shortly after the Presidential inauguration ceremony held at the Eagle Square, Abuja and concluded the following request be made.
“We hereby request for a meeting to be fixed from your end as soon as possible in order to meet with the urgency it demands.” The letter addressed to the National Chairman also copied the chairman of the APC Governors Forum, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state.
The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, has teamed up with a renowned hospital group in Port Harcourt, the Meridian Hospitals, which is in partnership with the Pilgrims Health Foundation, to carry out a one-day medical outreach last Tuesday.
The free treatment scheme took place at Oromenike Government Girls Secondary School in D-Line, Port Harcourt, with over 100 persons accessing free treatments, including free eye-glasses and booking for eye surgeries.
Other areas of treatment included general health consultations and treatment; blood pressure and sugar level testing; malaria testing and treatment; free prescriptions; preventive health talks focusing on hygiene, maternal health, and nutrition.
The scheme was conducted under the theme: ‘Bringing Healthcare to the Community.’
Newsmen who visited the venue of the scheme found that enthusiastic beneficiaries had thronged the area as early as 7a.m. After setting up, the medical team began attending to the patients.
Mr. Jerry Onwuso, a 63-year-old patient, who was first to see eye doctors and got eye glasses and drugs, told newsmen that he was pleased with the medical intervention.
He made it clear he did not pay any money to get all the treatments and glasses, and pleaded that the scheme be sustained.
Another patient, Loveth Sam, expressed satisfaction with the scheme and appealed to the sponsors to continue to increase the benefits.
Throwing some light on the scheme, Mr. China said he worked in Meridian Hospitals as a Lab. Scientist 19 years ago, but resigned because he could not bear to see patients struggling for life because they had no money to pay for treatment.
He said he came back to help extend free medical treatment to the less privileged.
Sources said China was always having issues with the hospital authorities when he would insist on critical patients being allowed to be treated first, with or without money.
Years later, China, who now goes by a brand name, the Mayor of Housing, returned to the Meridian Hospital headquarters to support free medical scheme.
He also went the next day to the headquarters of Meridian, after the one-day medical outreach, to give cash gifts and palliatives to workers he met when he worked there but had remained in service since he left.
He encouraged them to continue to give their all to humanity through the hospital. The Mayor of Housing called most of them by name and a cloud of emotions descended on them during the reunion.
Appreciating the gesture, the Founder and Chief Medical Director, Dr. Iyke Odo, said China had always manifested hard-work, ambition, and impulsive giving.
According to him, the then young bright boy was full of humanity, kindness, love, and made friends easily, adding that “not everybody that gives is a giver. The difference is that givers are given to give.”
Dr. Odo used the opportunity to call on governments to review Nigeria’s health insurance system and make it work in Nigeria to save lives.
He said it was sad watching critically sick persons abandoned because they did not have money for treatment.
He also condemned harsh tax and electricity tariffs whereby facilities like his now pay N12 million instead of N500,000 few years back.
He wondered why hospitals were being made to pay tariffs like oil companies, citing many other countries where medical facilities were placed on low rates and tariffs so they could charge moderate fees from patients.
The Renewed Hope Initiative in conjunction with the Rivers State Government has empowered 500 elderly citizens in Rivers State with financial support of N200,000 each.
The empowerment programme was part of activities to celebrate the third anniversary of the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme RHIESS, a social investment policy initiated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking at the event which held at the Government House, Port Harcourt, recently, under the theme, ‘Finding Joy in Old Age,’ Senator Tinubu said the gesture which has become traditional since 2023 was a mark of gratitude in recognition of the invaluable contributions of the senior citizens to nation building.
The First Lady who was represented by the wife of the Rivers State Governor and State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Lady Valerie Fubara, said the scheme was to “support two hundred and fifty (250) vulnerable elderly citizens aged 65 and above in all the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory, and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) totalling 9,500 selected beneficiaries across the nation.
She urged the beneficiaries to engage in activities that will make them find joy in old age.
“I encourage you to continue playing your part by staying healthy and active, nurture both your body and mind through regular exercise and meaningful engagement,” Senator Tinubu advised.
On her part, Lady Fubara said the State Government through the magnanimity of the governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has increased the beneficiaries of the programme from 250 to 500.
She restated the commitment of the State Government towards provision of social welfare and improving the standard of living of the elderly in the State.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr Vetty Agala, said the State Government has through the Health4allrivers Initiative, introduced free medical care for senior citizens in the State, in line with the Renewed Hope Initiative.
