Appeal court affirms Oshiomhole’s suspension as APC national chairman

A three-man panel of the court of appeal has affirmed the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a judgment delivered by Mohammed Lamido, a judge, on Tuesday, the three-man panel dismissed Oshiomhole’s appeal for lacking in merit.

The panel’s decision followed the decision of an Abuja high court in March 2020, which had ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole as national chairman of the APC.

On March 5, 2020, a high court sitting in the federal capital territory (FCT) had given an order of interlocutory injunction restraining Oshiomhole from referring to himself as the APC national chairman, pending the determination of a suit filed by one Oluwale Afolabi.

Less than two weeks later, on March 16, a court of appeal sitting in Abuja had restrained the APC from executing the judgement of the FCT high court which ordered Oshiomhole’s suspension as national chairman of the ruling party.

In its ruling at the time, Abubakar Yahaya, chairman of the three-man panel of judges, ordered a stay of execution pending the hearing of an application filed by Oshiomhole.

In his appeal, Oshiomhole, through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun, had asked the court to set aside the suspension order.

The appeal court’s ruling is coming at a time the national chairman is facing serious backlash over the decision by the APC national working committee (NWC) to suspend Godwin Obaseki, incumbent governor of Edo from contesting the party’s governorship primary election.

Obaseki had, on Tuesday, announced his decision to quit the APC. His deputy, Philip Shuaibu, also left the party after his principal’s announcement.