The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has said Adams Oshomhole is ‘incompetent’ to be the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akeredolu who denied any involvement in alleged attempts to remove the party’s national chairman accused Oshiomhole of exhibiting incompetence in the handling of the party’s recently concluded primaries across the country.
In a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Special Duties and Strategy, Doyin Odebowale, The Ondo State governor said APC primaries exposed the incompetence of Mr Oshiomhole.
He described the exercise as a “political charade” and a revelation of “a shocking proclivity towards banditry and impunity.”
He asserted that recent events had justified his opposition to Mr Oshiomhole’s election as party chairman.
A group of party members had on Tuesday staged a protest at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja alleging that Mr Akeredolu and other “conservative” governors were planning to remove Mr Oshiomole and scuttle the efforts of the party towards winning the 2019 general election.
The group pointedly described Akeredolu as a mole in the APC, whose recent actions could result in Buhari losing Ondo State.
Recall that the APC primaries sparked protests in some quarters following allegation bordering around imposition and impunity.
A number of governors protested against the final list of candidates approved by the Oshiomole-led NWC, and had called on President Buhari to intervene to reverse the trend.
Mr Akerdolu is particularly livid over the failure of some of his preferred candidates to make the list of candidates to be fielded by the party in the Senate and House of Representatives, despite being in firm control of the party machinery in the state.
He said those who feel aggrieved reserve the right to demand justice, including calling for Mr Oshiomhole’s removal.
The governor, however, restated his commitment to work “assiduously” for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, who he said is loved by the people of Ondo State.
Referring to the protest in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Akeredolu described the organisers of the protest as “opportunists,” and denied that he led governors of Ogun, Kaduna Adamawa and Ekiti States against Mr Oshiomhole’s leadership.
He said he found the report laughable and distracting, adding that as a fiercely independent personality, he was not about to change his attitude to please any person or a group of persons.
“There is no truth in the whole contrivance. The governor has been pre-occupied with matters of governance in Ondo State for which he was elected,” the statement said.
Mr Akeredolu recalled his “noble interventions” as Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president at critical moments in the cause of the “progressives”, including in restoring Mr Oshiomhole’s stolen mandate.
“The governor had expressed preference for someone else during the contest for the office of the Chairman of the Party,” the statement further read.
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