EXCLUSIVE: DSS grills Oshiomhole over APC primaries, asks him to resign

Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Sunday, TheCable understands.

Oshiomhole was grilled by DSS operatives for nine hours after some APC governors alleged that he received bribes during the party’s primary elections across the country.

Although nothing was established against him, the APC chairman was asked to resign during interrogation by the DSS.

But Oshiomhole resisted the pressure to resign, saying he would only do so if he loses the confidence of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The APC chairman told the DSS that the president was in the loop of every action he took during the party’s primaries and would have objected if he had violated any law.

“Adams Oshiomhole was arrested by the DSS, they didn’t show him any petition. It was alleged by some governors that he collected bribe during the primaries,” a source said.

“He was told to resign and he told DSS operatives that he will resign if he loses the confidence of the president. He said everything the party did, he (Buhari) was in the know.

“The irony, though, is that the cases of Lagos and Zamfara in which he allegedly collected bribe from the governors did not end in favour of the governors, so what sense does that make?”

Another source said the president expressed shock at the governors’ move, saying he was not aware of the development.

“On Monday night Oshiomhole met with the president and briefed him on what happened and the president was shocked. The president said he did not know about it and promised to look into it,” the source said.

The APC primaries were marred by controversies. Elections in some states had to be repeated.

In Zamfara, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the party will not participate in the 2019 polls because it could not successfully conclude its primary before the deadline.

In Imo, the APC favoured the governorship candidacy of Hope Uzodimma, senator representing Imo west, over Uche Nwosu, son-in-law of Rochas Okorocha, governor the state.

Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun governor, fell out with the party’s national working committee (NWC) after it chose Dapo Abiodun as the state’s gubernatorial candidate. Abiodun Akinlade is Amosun’s preferred candidate.

A number of APC governors have expressed disappointment over the way the national leadership of the party had gone about the issues, hence the move against Oshiomhole.