…’His exit’ll lead to emergence of leaders to drive Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda – APC Group
Akani Alaka
Even if he did not know any other thing, Abdullahi Adamu knows well in advance of his formal resignation on Sunday that his time as the chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC was over.
However, not one to give up easily, he had last week brought the chairpersons of the party across the 36 states and the FCT together in Abuja last week during which he was able to get them to pass a vote of confidence on him.
“There’s only one APC, and we came again in solidarity to say we are strongly behind our national chairman and the NWC,” acting Secretary of the Forum of APC State Chairmen and Cross River State Chairman Alphonsus Ogar said while dismissing the claims that the former Nasarawa State governor was at war with members of his National Working Committee (NWC).
He also described as false, reports of disagreement between Adamu and the governors over the compilation of names for consideration for appointments by President Bola Tinubu.
However, going by events that have unfolded since Sunday, the vote of confidence of the APC chairperson was grossly incapable of saving Adamu.
The forces against him remaining in office as the chairman of APC were too strong for the APC state chairmen or even the former Nasarawa State governor himself to stop.
READ ALSO: http://China begins studies in Yoruba Language, produces first textbook
The initial prediction was that he would be asked to step down from office at the National Executive Committee, NEC meeting initially scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but which has now been postponed.
Kyari Takes Over APC
However, Adamu decided to throw in the towel days ahead of the meeting as the news of his resignation as chairman of APC became rife on Sunday.
Though he did not make the letter public and refused to confirm the rumour that he has resigned to journalists, Adamu’s colleagues in the NWC confirmed the development to journalists on Sunday.
The NWC members confirmed that the national chairman had resigned alongside the National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who according to some reports was earlier at the APC secretariat for the meeting.
“The NWC wishes to inform you of the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore. It is now incumbent on me as the Deputy National Chairman, North, and the Deputy National Secretary to assume the roles. APC Deputy National Chairman, North, Senator Abubakar Kyari, told journalists after the meeting of the NWC at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
Some APC members told The Nigerian Xpress on Tuesday that the only surprise thing about Adamu’s resignation was because it came later than expected.
Battle With Tinubu, APC NWC
According to them, Adamu’s continued stay in office became no longer tenable after the election of Tinubu as president.
They noted that Adamu had before the APC primary attempted to ram the former senate president down the throat of party members as the anointed candidate of President Buhari.
“He had also opposed the argument of power shift to the South as he said repeatedly that he did not believe in zoning even before he was elected the party’s chairman.
“That’s why he attempted to ram another Northerner down the throat as successor to President Buhari. He was elected as the chairman of APC because before then, he was the chairman of the reconciliation committee set up to tackle crises afflicting the state chapters of the party.
The belief was that he would leverage his new position to bring an end to the crises. But when he became the chairman, he abandoned the assignment and became even a divisive figure,” said an APC chieftain.
He noted that Adamu had also threatened to sanction Tinubu after the famous ‘Emilokan speech’ in Abeokuta, Ogun State just before the APC primary.
Adamu’s headship of the APC secretariat was also trailed by allegations of impunity and dictatorial tendencies as other members of the NWC have also accused him of running the party and taking critical decisions on behalf of the party without involving them.
READ ALSO: http://62nd birthday: Hon. Ogene describes Peter Obi as ‘hope and light’ for new Nigeria
For example, Adamu did not inform other NWC members before he announced Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate of APC before the party’s primaries. He has also refused all entreaties by other members of the NWC to call the NEC meeting of the party.
At the arrowhead of opposition to Adamu in the APC NWC was Salihu Lukman, the APC National vice chairman (Northwest). Lukman has consistently accused Adamu of violating the constitution of the party by refusing to give an account of its finances among others. One of the reasons cited for the sack of Adamu was an untidy audit report of the party’s finances.
However, the former APC chairman had further deepened his troubles with the party when he refused to categorically declare his support for Tinubu-backed Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas for the position of the Senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
His prevarication was said to have encouraged Abdulaziz Yari who went to contest for the position against the wish of the president and the party.
What’s more, he had also ruffled the feathers of the governors, the president and other stakeholders of the party when he publicly disowned principal officers of the National Assembly a few hours after their emergence.
Adamu had claimed that he was not carried along in the selection of the principal officers who were chosen with the obvious backing of the president and the governors.
Analysts said the public disapproval of the public officers was the last straw that broke Adamu’s camel back.
However, he further compounded the situation for himself recently when he declared ailing Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, incapacitated, to the embarrassment of the party members and leaders.
“From the moment he announced Lawan as the ruling party’s consensus candidate and was left stranded by Buhari, to the moment he was kept in the dark on the approved list of principal officers of the National Assembly, I knew that Adamu will thread the path of Adam,” activist and former Kaduna Senator, Shehu said.
Tinubu Consolidates Hold On APCHowever, sources told The Nigerian Xpress that the sack of Adamu was also seen as crucial to the consolidation of Tinubu’s hold on power and the party.
According to them, while the President had had his way so far in terms of those he wanted to preside over the National Assembly, Adamu had constituted a cog in the wheel of the process by slyly trying to behave as opposition to the president at every turn.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: http://Army busts int’l drug cartel, intercepts truckload of marijuana
Some had accused the former Nasarawa State governor of displaying open contempt for the President and unnecessary haughtiness. It was also alleged that the former APC chairman had also tried to position himself as a defender of the Northern interests in the positions he had taken on some issues, thus constituting a source of division within the party.
But a former APC legal adviser, Muiz Banire in an interview with a television station said the president did not have anything to gain by removing Adamu from office. But the APC Committee of Diaspora said the resignation of Adamu and Omisore, would lead to emergence of a new set of leaders to drive Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The committee, in a statement jointly signed on Tuesday by Prof. Adesegun Labinjo and Mr Bola Babarinde, the chairman and general secretary respectively expressed confidence in the ability of the acting national chairman to steer the leadership of the party effectively pending the election of the substantive national chairman and secretary.