The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, yesterday assured members that there is no leadership vacuum in the ruling party despite the presence of Prince Hilliard Eta and Victor Giadom at the party’s secretariat.
Issa-Onilu gave the assurance while reacting to an FCT High Court’s approval of an application for Giadom, the Deputy National Secretary, to function as acting national chairman of the APC for two weeks.
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Justice Samira Umar Bature had on Thursday granted an ex parte application by the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu, seeking to extend an earlier order of the court on March 16, which made an interim order for Giadom to act pending “a validly convened National Executive Committee (NEC) or pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed, whichever comes first.”
But Comrade Salihu, in a swift reaction, distanced himself from the new court order, saying he was not a party to it.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC has been divided into two factions on who leads the party, following the Appeal Court ruling sustaining the suspension of Mr Adams Oshiomhole as the party’s National Chairman.
Some members of the NWC had named a former governor Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, as the acting national chairman of the party.
The NWC also appointed the party’s National Vice Chairman (South South), Prince Eta, to act on Sen. Ajimobi’s behalf due to what they called his “unavoidable absence.”
Ajimobi was not available because he had been hospitalised for an undisclosed ailment.
But the APC spokesman, who reacted to the new court order, said none of the four defendants named in the said process were served with the originating processes in the suit and as a result the party became aware of the existence of such an order on June 17, 2020 through its circulation on social media.
He said a cursory look at the said order would reveal that it was granted on March 16, 2020 to fill a purportedly vacant office of National Chairman ahead of a National NEC meeting which turned out to have been convened in contravention of the APC Constitution.
Issa-Onilu said Justice Liman of the Federal High Court had on March 13, 2020 affirmed the appointment of Sen. Ajimobi as Acting Deputy National Chairman (South) by the APC NWC.
He said Sen. Ajimobi assumed the position of acting National Chairman on March 13, 2020 in furtherance of the above court decision and complying with Article 14.2 (iii) of the APC Constitution.
Isss-Onilu said: “In essence, there was no vacancy to fill on the said March 16, 2020 as Sen. Ajimobi had already assumed the role of Acting National Chairman.
“By the Constitution of the Party, Sen. Ajimobi has assumed the role of National Chairman following the decision of the Court of Appeal upholding the interlocutory injunction suspending the National Chairman from office,” he added.
