Edo primary: Oshiomhole violating our party’s constitution, says APC chieftain

Muhammad Jibrin, former deputy national auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says a letter written by Adams Oshiomhole, the party’s national chairman, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is enough to remove him from office.

In a letter dated May 19, Oshiomhole informed the electoral commission that the party had agreed to choose its governorship candidate for the Edo election through direct primary poll.

This was three days before the national working committee (NWC) of the party took the decision.

In a statement, Jibrin said only the national executive committee (NEC) has the power to choose if a candidate is going to be picked via a direct or indirect primary poll mode, according to the party constitution.

“Article 20 (IV) – Procedure for Nomination of Candidates (E) states: ‘Without prejudice to Article 20(u) and (iii) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee shall subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee make Rules and Regulations for the nomination of candidates through primary elections’,” he said.

“This shows that the powers to determine the mode/type of election to be used for the nomination of candidates rests with NEC and not NWC, or at least MUST get the approval of NEC. So, the truth is that Edo State APC chapter was correct to say that only the NEC has the final say on the matter and not the NWC.

“We would recall that on August 29, 2018, the APC’s NEC delegated this function to NWC and the State Chapters of the Party only for the purpose of Osun and Ekiti primary elections and not in perpetuity.

“The National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, without conscience and sense of fairness and justice wrote a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the APC had decided to adopt Direct Primary for the Edo State APC Governorship.

“He did this three day ahead of the meeting of NWC that was supposed to decide on the matter. Under normal circumstance, this immoral action is enough to remove him from office because it is not just an infraction but a desecration of anything just and fair.”

The former auditor said Oshiomhole has remained at the centre of all the party’s crisis that has engulfed the state chapters since November 2018.

According to him, the national chairman may not allow President Muhammadu Buhari to leave a legacy of “robust party politics.”

“All well-meaning Nigerians will like to see President Buhari complete his term peacefully and leave behind a legacy of robust party politics, real democracy, democratic institution and popular participation of citizens,” Jibrin said.

“However, it seems, Adams Oshiomhole will not allow that. He has not learned one lesson and is digging deeper.

“All well-meaning party leaders should reflect on this and take the necessary action before the APC scatters.”