After Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, announced his resignation from the APC, Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja upheld the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the APC national chairman. There is no doubt that the crisis in the All Progressives Congress is getting out of hand since these two significant events occurred earlier on the same day. Reports from Sydney Sweeney fapelloThe Punch reveals that the sitting governor’s reason for such act is that, party disqualified him from participating in the June 22 governorship primary in the state.
Going memory lane, the Court of Appeal affirmed the earlier March 4, 2020 order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Jabi, Abuja, in a unanimous judgment of a three-man panel led by Justice Eunice Onyemanam, suspending Oshiomhole and barring him from continuing to parade himself as the national chairman of the party.
A reason for Adams Oshiomhole’s suspension as APC’s national chairman was on the grounds that the party wrongfully continued to retain him in office while he was under suspension as a member of the party.
This was Justice Danlami Senchi of the FCT High Court judgement on March 4, 2020
The suit was instituted before the FCT High Court by six applicants, Together with the Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, and the Department of State Services; the six applicants were the respondents to appeal jointly filed by Oshiomhole and the APC.
The main suit leading to the order earlier suspending Oshiomhole was instituted before the FCT High Court by six applicants, including the Vice-Chairman of the party, North-East, Mustapha Salihu, and the Chairman of the party in Edo State, Anslem Ojezua.
The rest of the applicants are members Oshiomhole’s Ward 10 of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, Alhaji Sani Gomna, Oshawo Steven, Fani Wabulari, and Princewill Ejogharado.
The plaintiffs are loyalists of the Governor Godwin Obaseki in the state.
The ward executives had in November 2019 suspended the national chairman as a member of the party for anti-party activities, a decision which the FCT High Court anchored the order suspending Oshiomhole on November 2, 2019.
In compliance with the court order the security agencies had promptly taken over the national secretariat of the party in Abuja blocking Oshiomhole from accessing his office.
But Oshiomhole had through his team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), appealed against the court’s interlocutory order.
