Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole: APC National Chairman

By Jethro Ibileke

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo State, Charles Idahosa, has again called for the resignation of the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole “for the interest and survival of the party.”

Idahosa who made the call while reacting to issues surrounding the crises rocking the party in the state, added that the party is losing its grip due to alleged overbearing attitude of Oshiomhole.

Apparently alluding to Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s claim that he was among the founders of the APC, Idahosa insisted that “those who claimed to have been among those who formed the party in the state are not.”

According to him: “I am a founding father, I see people just coming into the party to destroy it. That is one of the reasons I cannot keep quite

“I happened to have been among the five Nigerians that formed the Action Congress for Democrat (ACD), that is today APC. In 2006, after we formed the ACD, [Lucky] Igbinedion disowned ACD.

“I was the one that is being disowned, because in 2006, they saw me at a meeting of the ACD. The Edo State government at that time quickly disowned me, but it is very interesting today that everybody is now claiming APC.

“Adams Oshiomhole as at that time was still carrying placards on the streets of Lagos and Abuja, protesting as a labour leader. That was when we formed this party. We knew the roles he played that time.

“APC is dying gradually under Oshiomhole, and there is no way somebody like me can see issues and pretend not to see it.

Idahosa who said that Oshiomhole has no political home-base, noted that the only way out for him is to tender his resignation letter as national chairman, as he lacks the political acumen to lead the party, but as a labour leader.

“Lerge Valessa was a great labour leader who led a riot in Poland and for that popularity, they voted him to become President of Poland and after few years, he crashed out. Trade unionism and activism is completely different from politics.

“Oshiomhole have been a very good trade union leader, but as a leader of a political party, he does not have the temperament, he does not have the character to lead the party.

“The best we can do for himself is to tender his resignation so that the party can have peace because the way the party is going, it is going out of control,” he said.

The Edo APC chieftain however expressed optimism that the state governor, Obaseki would get the party’s ticket whether through direct primaries or indirect primaries, noting that it is the party in the state that decides what patterns it will use to conduct its primaries.