The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was thrown into leadership confusion with the sacking, by Appeal Court, of Adams Oshiomhole as the Chairman, as three leaders emerged to take over, but the National Working Committee (NWC), ended up picking one of them.
The party had picked the former Oyo State Gov. Abiola Ajimobi as Acting National Chairman, but the Deputy National Secretary, Chief Victor Giadom, rose from nowhere to declare himself chairman, citing a court judgment even as the third, Prince Hilliard Eta, who is the party’s Vice-Chairman, South-South zone was eventually recognized to lead in acting capacity.
The emergence of Eta was as a result of the absence of Ajimobi at the meeting of the NWC today, June 17. Ajimobi is believed to be recovering from coronavirus infection which has prevented him from physically taking office as chairman.
taking over the mantle of leadership, Eta quickly appointed Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma as chairman of the Edo Primary Election.
The Eta-led National Working Committee also declared as vacant, the office of the Deputy National Secretary of the party which was occupied by Giadom.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the NWC was called today to “clarify the apparent confusion’’ regarding the new leadership of the party.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, the party “affirmed’’ Ajimobi as the party’s authentic acting Chairman.
“Due to Ajimobi’s unavoidable absence, the NWC unanimously appointed the party’s National Vice-Chairman (South-South), Prince Hilliard Etta to act.”
He said that Eta’s replacement of Ajimobi was backed by the party’s constitution which empowers the NWC to appoint one of its members in an acting capacity and stipulates that the acting National chairman must be from the zone of the National Chairman.
Only yesterday, June 16, an Appeal Court upheld the suspension of Oshiomhole as the party’s National Chairman thereby creating a lot of confusion in the party’s hierarchy.
