Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, embattled National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said on Tuesday that Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State was blackmailing him so that he would succumb to the governor’s selfish desires.
The governor had, on Sunday, led a delegation of leaders from Ogun State to the official residence of the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, over the ongoing controversy concerning who would fly the flag of the APC in the state governorship election in 2019.
Those who attended the meeting included the Alake of Egbaland and Chairman, Ogun State Council of Obas, Oba Aremu Gbadebo; the Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, and a former Minister of State for Education, Senator Iyabo Anisulowo.
The national leadership of the party had endorsed Dapo Abiodun, who is from Remo, as the party’s candidate while Amosun was supporting the candidature of Adekunle Akinlade, from Yewa.
There were newspaper reports that during the meeting with the Ogun State leaders, the President issued an ultimatum to Oshiomhole to ‘clear the mess’ which emanated in the wake of the governorship primaries in some state chapters of the party and Ogun State.
Amosun also accused Oshiomhole of conniving “with a cabal in Lagos” to write fake results after the party’s primaries which produced Dapo Abiodun as the governorship candidate.
However, speaking in a chat with repoters yesterday, an aide of Oshiomhole said the “the National Chairman is surprised by the statements in the media that he was given a matching order by President Buhari to clear the mess arising from the primaries, especially in Ogun State.”
According to him, the news is a figment of the imagination of the sponsors as Oshiomhole was not in attendance when the President hosted the leaders from Ogun State.
The aide said: “There was nothing like that. The report was sponsored by Governor Amosun in his desperate attempt to ensure he has his way at all cost. Oshiomhole was not even present at the meeting the President had with traditional rulers from Ogun state.
“Amosun was the one who told journalists that that was what the President said during the meeting. There was nothing like that. Rather, the President told Oshiomhole to be firm, insist on due process and resist any form of impunity.
“His claim that Oshiomhole connived with a cabal in Lagos is totally false. If Oshiomhole had connived with the said cabal in Lagos and his candidate emerged the winner, would he be making these accusations?”
In a related development, Yekini Nabena, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, has denied a report by a national newspaper that he accused Oshiomhole of impunity and arrogance.
In a message sent to reporters, Nabena said: “The report in Guardian newspaper on Tuesday titled ‘Nabena accuses Oshiomhole of arrogance’ is mischievous. I never said what was attributed to me accusing the national chairman of arrogance.
“I was asked a question and I said NWC does not have the right to claim that the national chairman is the only one taking the decisions. I said we are 22 in NWC. How can 21 people be complaining against one person.
“I was also asked that why is the chairman operating from his private office rather than the party secretariat. I said the NWC members can move the NWC to anywhere because I have seen occasions where NWC or NEC meetings have been taken to certain places which I attended.
“So, if they are doing it and the NWC members are comfortable with it, there is no need for anyone complaining now. I never at any time said the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is arrogant or take unilateral decisions. I was never quoted in a single paragraph in the report to show I actually said that.”
