Pat Stevens/
The national secretary of the All Progressives Party (APC), Hon Victor Giadom, has taken over as the acting national chairman of the ruling party.
The move by Giadom is reportedly in compliance with the ruling of an Abuja high court which suspended Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of APC. The same ruling was upheld by the Appeal Court in Abuja yesterday.
The decision, however, ran contrary to the position of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) which yesterday announced the party’s deputy national chairman (South), Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as the acting national chairman based on the party’s constitution.
Ajimobi had earlier today issued a statement through his spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji, in which he sued for peace among party faithful pending the time all contentious issues would be amicably resolved.
Giadom in a statement in which he announced his takeover of the affairs of the party also cancelled the earlier screening conducted for the party’s governorship aspirants in Edo State, as well as that of the Appeals Committee which ratified the outcome of the screening exercise.
He also ordered the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, who was disqualified during the earlier exercise and other aspirants to prepare to undergo a fresh screening.
He further directed the deputy national organising secretary to immediately resume office as the party’s national organising secretary in compliance with an earlier judgment of a federal high court in Abuja.
Read his full statement below:
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, in a unanimous judgement, affirmed the suspension of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomohle as the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress.
Consequently, I bring to your notice that on the 16th of March 2020, Hon Justice S.U. Bature in suit no FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 had ordered that, with the earlier suspension of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomohle, I, Chief Hon. Victor Giadom, should act as National Chairman of our great party. That Order could not be immediately effected at that time because of the temporary reprieve Adams Oshiomohle got from the Court of Appeal on the same date.
However, having removed the temporary reprieve yesterday by the Court of Appeal and considering the fact that we cannot allow for a vaacum, I most humbly inform you that I have assumed office as Acting National Chairman of our great party in compliance with the order of the court.
I therefore, most humbly solicit the support of the entire leadership and members of our great party in achieving this very important responsibility. I want to assure all party members that the All Progressives Congress will obey court orders/judgements as to bring sanity to our great party. Time for selective compliance of Court Orders and judgements is over.
Our party, the All Progressives Congress, will no longer allow local quests for the control of power to influence our decisions. As your Acting National Chairman and presiding officer in the NWC, we, therefore cancel the decision of the Screening and Appeal Committees of the former Chairman of the party on the Edo primaries.
This is in strict compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that forbids anyone who is interested in a cause to be a judge in that same cause.
It is a brazen rape on the Rule of Law and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the former Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to preside and select Committees in respect to the Governorship primaries in Edo State being a key player in the crisis in that State.
Whatever role the former Chairman was given to play in that process by the APC constitution, it cannot override the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which governs all of us.
We, therefore, ask all Aspirants in the Governorship Primaries to report for fresh screening between today and tomorrow. I call on all aspirants to remain in the All Progressives Congress as we guarantee fairness and justice to all concerned. The schedule and time for each aspirant shall be communicated.
In addition to the above, the Deputy Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Muhammad Sani Ibrahim, shall immediately resume office as the Acting National Organising Secretary in compliance with the judgement of the Federal High Court in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/733/2018 which removed the former National Organising Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Ibediro, since 24th of September 2018. This is to ensure strict compliance with the Rule of Law.
Finally, I seek for cooperation of party leaders at all levels in this onerous task of reposition the leadership of the party so as to guarantee fairness and justice to all.
Thank You.
Chief Victor Giadom
Acting. National Chairman
All Progressives Congress