There are indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be heading towards a fresh crisis following a call by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawal Shuaibu that the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, should resign.
Shaibu in his letter titled “APC: Its fortunes versus misfortunes, time to act,” dated May 27 and delivered to Oshiomhole on May 28, called on the National Chairman to resign, over claims that the former Edo governor lacked the composure to lead the APC.
He further alleged that the APC under Oshiomhole had become badly fractured in virtually every constituency in the country and was fast losing the goodwill it enjoyed before Oshiomhole’s emergence.
The demand made by Shuaibu was said to have come to some members of the NWC as a shock, while another faction in support of Shuaibu’s action was said to have expressed satisfaction with the letter.
The Punch gathered that the leakage of the letter to the media a few hours after it was received by Oshiomhole was said to have infuriated a faction of the NWC loyal to the former Edo State governor.
A member of the NWC, who spoke with The Punch’s correspondent on condition of anonymity, also said it might be difficult for the party to discuss Shuaibu’s letter since it was not directed at either the party or members of its NWC.
He said if the letter had been sent to the affected NWC members, President Muhammadu Buhari, the governors elected on the platform of the party and members of its National Executive Committee, then the party might have no option but to either ask Oshiomhole to respond to issues raised in the letter or be suspended.
“But as it is, the letter was not directed at the party. It was a mere personal correspondence between the chairman and his deputy. So, it is not our business,” the source added.
But he said there were other members of the NWC that shared the views expressed by Shuaibu.
He said,
“There are other members of the NWC that shared the views expressed by the deputy national chairman. As it is now, we have a polarised NWC and it is difficult for a party that is just forming a government for another term.
“Apart from that, remember that we are going into a crucial second term and we need to also go into the National Assembly with one voice, otherwise we may play into the hands of the opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
“That is the problem we are facing now. We are not sure if the disgruntled officers and members of the APC will support our choices at the National Assembly.”
