Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomole, revealed shocking details on Tuesday about an alleged plot orchestrated by prominent party figures to remove him from his leadership role.
The disclosure was made during the launch of “APC and Transition Politics,” a book authored by Salihu Lukman, the former national vice chairman, North-west, of the party.
Oshiomole, a key figure in Nigerian politics, pointed fingers directly at former Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, and Salihu Lukman himself, accusing them of collaborating to orchestrate his ousting from the helm of the ruling party.
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During his address at the book launch in Abuja, Oshiomole delved into the specifics of his battle with the governors elected on the APC platform. He alleged that the trio, in conjunction with other unnamed individuals, resorted to various illegal tactics to undermine his leadership after he sought to establish party supremacy.
“Lukman wrote several letters, dismissing my leadership without calling me. When you ride on the back of a tiger, there is only one destination.
“Lukman was appointed undemocratically by the governors’ forum. I was not consulted— I was a governor. We were told this is the new DG of the APC governors forum.
“I wrote to the governors for a meeting. The governors said no, I should come to Imo House, not the APC office. He [Lukman] was there [where they were holding the meeting]. He did not see anything wrong with that,” Oshiomole said.
“It felt as though I was in a military barrack,” Oshiomhole said while recalling the atmosphere at the meeting with the governors.
He said following the diatribes from the governors, he responded
“None of you can lecture me about the power of a governor. Because I have been governor twice. Eight years uninterrupted.
“At a point, I told Fayemi, ‘You did a resit. You were elected and by the second term, you lost. That means you failed’. I did not do a resit, and you are lecturing me about power. I can mention some of them.
“The man in Ogun State, he told me if not for the president, he would have left the party. Some of them told me ‘You are working for your paymaster in Lagos. Your paymaster in Bourdillon.’”
The former APC National Chairman did not mince words, describing his removal as “illegal” and attributing it to the governors’ persistent efforts to thwart his moves toward party reform.
