Some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are demanding the removal of Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the party.
A minister, who craved anonymity, disclosed this to reporters on Wednesday.
The opposition against Oshiomhole is coming less than four months into his tenure. He took over the leadership of the party from John Oyegun in June.
The minister said the aggrieved governors refused to make financial contribution towards last week’s convention of the ruling party and are monitoring how the proceeds from the sale of nomination forms for 2019 elections are being spent.
“Some of the governors who are displeased with the leadership style of Oshiomhole have told President Muhammadu Buhari that Oshiomhole must give way if the APC is to record victory in the 2019 general election,” he said.
“They are insisting that Oshiomhole must go because they can’t work with him for the election next year. They refused to contribute to the APC convention and asked the party chairman to use the N10 billion he collected from the sale of nomination forms. They are also monitoring how he is spending it.”
He hinted that strategies to use in removing Oshiomhole were discussed at a meeting with the president on Wednesday.
Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara, has come out openly to criticise Oshiomhole whom he described as acting like a mini-god.
The battle to oust the chairman gained momentum after the national working committee of the party screened preferred candidates of some governors out of the 2019 race.
Meanwhile, Rochas Okorocha, chairman of the APC governors’ forum and Imo state governor, said the issue of the party primaries were discussed at the meeting with Buhari.
Okorocha, who was able to pick the senatorial ticket of his party and also ensure Uche Nwosu, his son-in-law clinched the governorship ticket of the party, said the APC is ready to bring the warring factions together so that it can unite to face the challenges ahead of 2019.
He added that the party is not jittery over the emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the main opposition candidate to challenge Buhari next year.
Present at the meeting were Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Mohammed Abubakar, Bauchi state governor; Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano state governor; Kashim Shettima, Borno state governor and Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos state governor as well as Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation.
Okorocha said, “We are here as a delegation of the APC governors to congratulate the president for emerging the presidential candidate of our great party APC for the 2019 election and we believe that it’s victory well deserved. The honour we have given him confirms our confidence in the man Buhari.
“We have looked at issues concerning our primaries. In every democracy, we expect some kind of disagreement and we have kindly requested that something be done fast to bring all warring factions together so we can have a united party to face the challenges ahead and we are happy that that will soon take place. Most of the problems are already being resolved, except for one or two states like Zamfara and where it becomes very difficult we will ask for the president’s intervention in the matter.
“Reconciliation is the main thing we want because we do not want to go into this battle a divided family and we want to make sure that all governors are intact, all national assembly members are intact while going into this battle.”
The governor also noted that the APC will not engage in verbal attacks but base its campaigns on issues that are important to Nigerians
“Our election this time will not engage on castigation or talking. We will be taking on issues, Nigerians are tired of political abuses, what we want to be talking about is issues, the track records of people involved in our elections. Nigerians are very wise now; before they elect anybody, they will ask questions. What has been your tract records, who were you before, who are you now and everything about you? And for that reason we are confident that in 2019, APC will go through.”
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