Oshiomhole: I’m no longer interested in chairing APC

A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, says he no longer has interest to lead the ruling party. Oshiomhole said this in a statement signed by his media aide, Victor Oshioke. Customs seizes smuggled goods worth N234m, apprehends 2 suspects in Kaduna NIMASA donates relief materials to Nasarawa IDPs […]

A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, says he no longer has interest to lead the ruling party.

Oshiomhole said this in a statement signed by his media aide, Victor Oshioke.

• Customs seizes smuggled goods worth N234m, apprehends 2 suspects in Kaduna
• NIMASA donates relief materials to Nasarawa IDPs

He was reacting to a statement credited to Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a chieftain of the party,

Eze had said Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and others were plotting to bring back Oshiomhole as national chairman.

But Oshiomhole asked Eze to leave him out of the party’s leadership tussle.

He said it is frivolous for any person to assume that Keyamo, who actively supported his removal, would want him to return.

“Keyamo was in the forefront and indeed provided legal support through his personal legal assistants who went to Court and argued on behalf of those that filed cases for the removal of Oshiomhole as national chairman of the APC.”

“He also offered legal advice on the legality of the National Executive Council (NEC) that was convened for the dissolution of the Oshiomhole led National Working Committee of APC and emergence of the Governor Mai-Mala Buni led Caretaker Committee.

“If Keyamo has no ulterior motives behind his sudden change of legal interpretations of relevant aspects of the APC constitution and the Nigeria constitution, he would have sat down with his co Minister, the Attorney General of the federation behind closed doors and put forth his arguments or sought a private audience with Mr President and explain why his earlier opinion supporting the dissolution of the NWC and setting up of a Caretaker Committee has changed or no longer tenable.

“The truth of the matter is that Mr. Keyamo seems to have lost out in the power play and failed to secure the benefits he anticipated in Oshiomhole’s removal from office with the consequent dissolution of the NWC and other structures of the party.”

Oshiomhole said he would not be part of any plot to destabilise or ridicule the party.

He warned against his name being dragged into an issue that he has no hand in.

“All hands should be on deck to support the Caretaker Committee to complete its assignment rather than creating distractions that are counterproductive.”

He, however, commended the party’s caretaker committee for winning three governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the APC fold.