The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, yesterday, ordered the stay of execution of the Abuja High Court ruling that suspended Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The appellate court, in a ruling by a three-man panel of Justices led by Justice Yahaya Dattijo, also issued an interlocutory injunction restraining the Respondents from taking steps to give effect to the high court ruling, pending the determination of appeals Oshiomhole filed before it.
It subsequently fixed Thursday to hear the two appeals marked CA/A/187/2020 and CA/A/188/2020.
The order of the appellate court followed an ex-parte application Oshiomhole filed through his team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN.
In another breathe, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) presided over by Justice S.U Bature has granted a motion exparte praying it to grant an interim order allowing Chief Victor Giadom to pilot the affairs of the party as acting national chairman.
The matter, which was filed before the court by the National Vice Chairman, North-East of the party, Comrade Mustapha Salihu has the party’s National Legal Adviser, Babatunde Ogala, National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, controversially-appointed acting National Secretary, Arc. Waziri Bulama and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as defendants.
Counsel to Salihu, O.C. Ugwu had in the motion dated March 16, 2020, prayed for “an interim order of this Honourable Court allowing Chief Victor Giadom (present acting national secretary) to pilot the affairs of the 4th Defendant as acting chairman and to preside at all meetings of the National Executive Committee pending the decision of the National Executive Committee of the 4th Defendant fixed for 17th March, 2020 or any other subsequent adjourned date pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice”.
He also prayed for “an interim order of this Honourable Court restraining the 4th Defendant and its officers or anyone purporting to act as an officer of the 4th Defendant from preventing or in any way disturbing Chief Victor Giadom (present acting national secretary) from functioning as the acting chairman (unless otherwise decided by the National Executive Committee of the 4th Defendant) pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice
“Such further or other orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case”.
The application was granted as prayed and the case adjourned to March 20, 2020.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the postponement of its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting earlier scheduled for today.
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, disclosed this after the government met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the Progressive Governors Forum Chairman, Buhari was pleased to endorse the suggestion to postpone the NEC meeting.
It was reliably gathered that the governor’s disagreement forced the indefinite suspension of the NEC meeting.
Reacting, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said it is in agreement with the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari postponing the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party which was earlier slated for today in spite of protests about its legality from some sections of the party.
The Acting National Secretary of APC, Chief Victor Giadom, who had convened the meeting following the purported suspension of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, disclosed this in a telephone chat with journalists, yesterday.
He said; “The NEC meeting has been postponed indefinitely. At the appropriate time, the public and members of the NEC will be informed on the new date but as of today, we are in agreement with the president that the NEC meeting has been postponed”.
On reports in the social media stating that the meeting would go on, Giadom said; “That is the product of mischief-makers; that did not come from me. Everybody has to respect the intervention of the President”.
When asked to react to an order of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court which yesterday granted him leave to pilot the affairs of the party as “acting national chairman”, Giadom said; “I have not been served yet. I am talking to you as the acting national secretary”.
Earlier, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, sanctioned the indefinite postponement of a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier slated for today, following a disagreement among governors of the party as to the constitutionality or otherwise of the said meeting.
While some governors who are opposed to having Comrade Adams Oshiomhole remain in office as national chairman wanted the meeting to go on as planned, some of their colleagues who are aligned with Oshiomhole were said to have vehemently rejected the move.
Earlier on Sunday night, the South-South leader of the party and Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege had met with NEC members from the zone and resolved to boycott the meeting, while urging other NEC members to also stay away.
The Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma and his counterparts from Borno and Ogun, Prof. Babagana Zulum and Dapo Abiodun had led a counter-attack on the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, threatening to initiate impeachment proceedings against him for allegedly using the forum to fight a personal battle against the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
At a meeting of the APC Governors Forum, yesterday, in Abuja, it was gathered that the three governors were decisive in their resolve to remove Bagudu as chairman of the forum.
President Muhammadu Buhari had been slated to meet with the governors by yesterday afternoon, but the governors had on their own met to compare notes before the meeting with the president.
It was learnt that trouble started when one of the anti-Oshiomhole governors made reference to a communique that would be presented to the president.
“However, Govs Uzodinma, Zulum, and Abiodun questioned how, where and when the communique was drafted since the governors had not met on the matter earlier”, said a source who was privy to the meeting.
Speaking further, the source said; “Bagudu had written a communique in the name of the PGF, to the effect that they were rejecting Oshiomhole as chairman of the party. But Hope, Zulum and Abiodun descended on him, accusing him of always writing statements and position papers on behalf of the governors without consultation and using the same to misinform the president”.
On the meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee slated for today, the pro-Oshiomhole governors were said to have vowed that the meeting would not go on as it was not properly convened.
Leader of the APC in the South-South and Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege had yesterday met with members of NEC from the zone and resolved to boycott the meeting.
While calling on others to also boycott the meeting, they argued that the convener, Chief Victor Giadom, who is the acting national secretary of the party has no powers to have called the meeting even as they said he was no longer fit to sit as a member of the National Working Committee.
Those who signed the communique issued after the meeting were Sen Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy Leader, House of Representatives, Comrade Peter Akpatason; National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barrister E. I. Adoh-Ogbuta and Zonal Woman Leader, Dr. Racheal Akpabio.
Others were the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Yekini Nabena, Zonal Youth Leader, Engr. Gabriel Idueseri, zonal ex-officio, Chief Kokote Ibadan; Akwa Ibom State Chairman, Ini Okopido and Hon. Israel Goli.
The communique resolved “that the National Chairman of our great Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has done very well in the administration of the affairs of our great party. We cannot allow ourselves to be used as agents of destabilization of a party we have laboured so hard to build.
“Under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, we won the just concluded Presidential Elections, won majority of the seats in the National Assembly, and also won governorship elections in most states of the federation.
“That in line with the resolutions reached by the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party, we dissociate ourselves from the purported NEC meeting being summoned by Hon. Victor Giadom as he does not have the constitutional powers to summon the NEC meeting.
“That the said, Hon. Victor Giadom is not a member of NWC having resigned his position as Deputy National Secretary of the Party to contest elections in Rivers, the state as Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2019 general election.
“We implore all members of NEC to respect the decisions of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party that the purported NEC meeting summoned by Victor Giadom is illegal and unconstitutional.
“We unanimously pass a vote of confidence on our leader, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari for his sterling leadership of the affairs of our dear country and the National Chairman of our party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole”.
There was anger in the anti-Oshiomhole camp, yesterday, following what some leaders of the group considered as a coup by the Rotimi Amaechi tendency.
The disagreement among the leaders is connected with who emerges as acting National Chairman of the party should they succeed in unseating Oshiomhole.
Some leaders of the group have reportedly accused the Transportation minister of working to install his man, Giadom as acting national chairman.
It was learnt that the Ekiti tendency in the group which is led by Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi is favourably disposed to having the NEC approve its nomination of Sen. Gbenga Aluko as Deputy National Chairman, South, in which case he would act in the absence of Oshiomhole.
While some governors in the group were said to be rooting for a former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Clement Ebri, a few others are rooting for a former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba.
Some of the northern governors in the group are, however, said to be canvassing for a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari.
But in what looks like one eating his vomit, the acting national secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Victor Giadom, said the party will respect the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Giadom-led National Working Committee (NWC), last week, insisted that the emergency National Executive Committee meeting will hold as planned, but made U-turn following the intervention of the President that led to the indefinite suspension.
Reacting to the last minute indefinite suspension of yesterday’s emergency National Executive Committee meeting on a telephone interview Giadom said, “the decision of the President, who is the leader of the party, and in that regards, the NEC meeting slated for 17th March has been postponed indefinitely.
“The party will respect the intervention of Mr. President,” Giadom stated.
When asked the new date for the NEC meeting, the acting national secretary replied, “the public and members of NEC will be informed of the new date, but as for today, following an agreement with the President, the NEC meeting is postponed.”