APC Chairmanship: Crisis Deepens as Two Acting National Chairman Emerge

The Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Victor Giadom, has kicked against the appointment of Abiola Ajimobi as the acting National Chairman of the party.

The Appeal Court on Tuesday upheld the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the APC.

And now the battle for his temporary replacement seems to have begun after the National Working Committee, NWC, appointed the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as the acting National Chairman.

However, Giadom, in a statement by his lawyer, Chief Wole Afolabi, insisted that the office of the Acting Chairman is his to occupy.

He insisted that the order of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court issued on March 16, 2020 by Hon. Justice S.U Bature in Suit No. FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 to the effect that Chief Victor Giadom is to act as the National Chairman of the party following the suspension of Oshiomhole remains valid.

He said the High Court order, hereby rendered Ajimobi’s appointment null and void and of no effect.

The statement added, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement purportedly issued by the Publicity Secretary of the APC to the effect that Senator Abiola Ajimobi is to act as the National Chairman of APC following the suspension from office of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by the Court of Appeal.

”We wish to state that the statement must have been issued in complete ignorance of the order of the FCT High Court issued on 16th of March, 2020 by Hon. Justice S.U Bature in Suit No. FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 to the effect that Chief Victor Giadom is to act as the National Chairman of the party due to the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman.

”The order was given the same day that the Court of Appeal earlier gave Oshiomhole a temporary respite by staying the execution of the said order suspending Oshiomhole. Now that the Court of Appeal has affirmed the order of suspension, it is only proper that the Order recognising Chief Victor Giadom is implemented.

”Consequently, we have written to all law enforcement agencies to implement the said order and any one who attempts to parade himself/herself other than Chief Victor Giadom as the Acting Chairman of the APC would be facing contempt of court proceeding.”

We reported that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday affirmed the suspension of Oshiomole as the National Chairman of the APC.

The former Edo State Governor was also suspended as a member of the ruling party.

The court upheld the earlier ruling of an Abuja High Court, which in March 4, 2020, suspended Oshiomole and asked him to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the party.

Justice Eunice Onyemanam, in a unanimous judgment in the first appeal, held that the FCT high court had territorial jurisdiction to have entertained the suit as it did.

The appellate court also upheld the withdrawal of his rights and privileges as national chairman of the party, including his security details by Police and State Security Service.