- He revealed how former Governors of Ekiti and Ogun States, Kayode Fayemi, Ibikunle Amosun, respectively orchestrated his removal from office
A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, recounted the intrigues and powerplay that characterised his removal from office and the political actors that engineered his ousting.
Oshiomhole spoke particularly on his battle with the governors elected on the platform of the ruling party who did everything within their power to remove him as chairman of the party.
He revealed how former Governors of Ekiti and Ogun States, Kayode Fayemi, Ibikunle Amosun, respectively orchestrated his removal from office.
He also said Salihu Lukman, a former national vice chairman, North-west, of the party, was among the leading figures that engineered his political travail during his time as the helmsman of the party.
Oshiomhole spoke at the launch of a book “APC and Transition Politics”, authored by Salihu Lukman, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
Oshiomhole recounted how the author alongside some governors spearheaded the campaign that led to his “illegal” removal from office.
He alleged that the governors used all manner of unlawful mean to remove him following his moves to enshrine party supremacy.
“Lukman wrote several letters, dismissing my leadership without calling me. When you ride on the back of a tiger, there is only one destination.
“Lukman was appointed undemocratically by the governors’ forum. I was not consulted— I was a governor. We were told this is the new DG of the APC governors forum.
“I wrote to the governors for a meeting. The governors said no, I should come to Imo House, not the APC office. He [Lukman] was there [where they were holding the meeting]. He did not see anything wrong with that,” Oshiomhole said.
“It felt as though I was in a military barrack,” Oshiomhole said while recalling the atmosphere at the meeting with the governors.
He said following the acerbic remarks from the governors, he responded “None of you can lecture me about the power of a governor. Because I have been governor twice. Eight years uninterrupted.
“At a point, I told Fayemi, ‘You did a resit. You were elected and by the second term, you lost. That means you failed’. I did not do a resit, and you are lecturing me about power. I can mention some of them.
“The man in Ogun State, he told me if not for the president, he would have left the party. Some of them told me ‘You are working for your paymaster in Lagos. Your paymaster in Bourdillon.’”