Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has explained why some former All Progressives Congress (APC) governors opposed his continuation as the party’s national chairman.
Oshiomhole said that certain former APC governors feared that, if he stayed in office, he would impose President Bola Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate in 2023.
He emphasized that his tenure as APC national chairman was marked by upholding party rules and ensuring the conduct of free and fair primaries.
Speaking while featuring News Central’s 60 Minutes with Mr Kay, Oshiomhole said: “People wanted me to adopt their style and I can’t borrow your style, I’m a labour man and I come from the real democratic foundation where its not about your strength but numbers.
“So we have some governors who question my right as national chairman to vote the party on the basis of its constitution. For example, the then governor of Ogun State won’t comply with the then rules of the National Working Committee because he was very close to the late former President Buhari and because of that he was above the law.
“We conducted primaries but he chose to do his own, even though Supreme Court has said there is only one registered political parties, states and organization are no more. And when he decided to conduct his own primaries we refused to recognize it, we upheld the result of the one we conducted that produced Dapo Abiodun as governor.
“He then sponsored governorship and House of Assembly in another political party called APM, Amosun imposed evil men and once we had the evidence that he was campaigning against the party, the NWC that I chaired in line with the party constitution, gave him a query, he didn’t answer and we suspended him.
“Some of the governors told me to my face that they had no problem with me because I have no problem with them but they believe that if I remain as chairman, I would impose Bola Tinubu who was the then leader of the party as presidential candidate on APC. I have told people that what you become in life is not so much of what you pray for, it’s what God has willed for you.”