APC south-south leaders ‘endorse’ Victor Giadom as Oshiomhole’s replacement

Leaders of the south-south region of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have asked the party’s national executive council (NEC) to confirm Victor Giadom as acting national chairman. 

Gaidom, acting national secretary, had announced that he had taken over the running of the party following the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman.

At the end of a zonal caucus meeting which was held on Thursday in Abuja, the leaders of the region said Gaidom should replace Oshiomhole for now so as to maintain the zoning arrangement of the party’s leadership.

They also insisted that the party’s NEC meeting scheduled for March 17 must take place.

They asked all members of the party from the six states in the geopolitical zone to attend the NEC meeting, despite the call by Hillard Eta, south-south national vice-chairman, for the boycott of the meeting.

“At the meeting, the leaders of the zone deliberated extensively on situation in the party and at the end of the meeting, they adopted the following resolutions,” Godwin Obaseki, Edo state governor, read from a communique issued at the end of the meeting.

“That as a party, we commend our brother, the Acting Chairman of the APC, Victor Giadom, for rising to the occasion by providing leadership for the party in this trying times.

“That we fully support the convening of the National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday March 17th, as the NEC is the only recognised organ under the constitution of our party to resolve the APC crisis.

“That we insist that the party should respect the current zoning arrangement by retaining the chairmanship of our great party in the South-South zone even in an acting capacity.

“We resolved that the most senior officer of the party from the zone, being the National Acting Secretary, Chief Victor Giadom, should be confirmed Acting National Chairman for the time-being.

“We urged all our brothers and sisters from the zone to fully embrace the NEC meeting and not boycott the emergency NEC meeting, which has been slated for Tuesday March 17th. Because boycott in a democratic environment is always counterproductive.”

According to the communique, those present at the meeting include Rotimi Amaechi, Goddy Agba, Osagie Ehanire and Festus Keyamo..

Others include Oserheimen Osunbor, former governor of Edo, Dakuku Peterside, immediate past director-general of Nigerian Maritime Safety Administration Agency (NIMASA); Usani Usani, former minister of Niger Delta Affairs.