Former President of the Nigerian Labour Congress and a-two-time Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had slammed the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN) who called on Chairman APC
Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni to resign in order to avoid providing ‘ammunition” for opponents of the party in future, in view of the Supreme Court judgment.
A statement issued by the former Governor’s Senior Media Aide, Victor Oshioke, disclosed that Keyamo was incompetent to call for Buni’s resignation, as he had helped to destroy the well constituted National Working Committee (NWC).
While accusing Keyamo of being disloyal to the structures of government, the statement said, Keyamo, as a serving minister, ought to have given his advice to his counterpart, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) rather than going
public.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Chief Eze
Chukwuemeka Eze, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) who is now a member of the APC and self-styled aide of Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi.
“In the said statement widely reported in the media, Chief Eze was quoted as saying that Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), Hon. Minister of State for Labour and Employment and others were ploting to bring back Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman of the APC.
“Ordinarily we would have
ignored this nonsensical suggestion.
“However, it is pertinent to set the records straight and put to rest this ridiculous falsehood being marketed by Eze Chukwuemeka Eze “lt is strange that a serving Minister would share on public Social Media platforms, what he captioned as a Private and Confidential’ legal opinion
for Mr President who appointed him, especially considering that he was in the political kitchen when the pot of crisis he is now offering advice on was being cooked.
“If Keyamo has no ulterior motives behind his sudden change of legal interpretations of relevant aspects of the APC
Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the right channel would have been to sit down with his co-Minister, the Attorney General of the Federation
behind closed doors and put forth his arguments.
“Alternatively, he could have sought a private audience with Mr. President or write a confidential memo to Mr.
President and explain why his earlier opinion supporting the dissolution of the NWC and setting up of a Caretaker Committee has changed or no longer tenable.
Instead he went to the market with his bogus arguments.
All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has thrown his weight behind the Yobe State governor and .
He also dismissed insinuations that Keyamo and some individuals were
spearheading the campaign to bring him back as APC chairman.
Oshimhole accused the minister of playing a key role in his removal as the
APC helmsmen last year.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has taken a swipe on the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, over the statement credited to him on the current impasse in the party.
The former Edo State governor had in a statement issued by his media aide, Victor Oshioke, said he has no desire to return as the APC chairman.
Keyamo, who reacted to the former Governor’s claims in a statement issued by his media aide, Tunde Moshood, said he (Oshiomhole) was
still suffering from the disappointment of his candidate’s defeat in last year’s Governorship election in Edo State, emphasizing that Comrade Oshiomhole should look elsewhere for the cause of his political misfortune.
“We have been alerted about a press stateme making the rounds credited to one Victor Oshioke issued on behalf of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and titled ‘LEAVE OSHIOMHOLE OUT OF APC LEADERSHIP DEBATE.
“We initialy had our doubts as to the authenticity of the said statement in which the respected Colmrade made several unfair and unfounded allegations against Mr. Keyamo.
“But when we were bombarded by credible sources for our response and after taking our time to send someone to call the author to authenticate it, we had no choice but to set the records straight.
“The story of the political tussle between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State is so well documented that we do not need to remind Nigerians about it.
Mr. Keyamo had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it.
“Mr. Keyamo is not PRIVY to how members of the CECPC were nominated and/or selected, so he did not have the benefit of the opportunity to point out any legal disabilities.
“Regrettably, the respected Comrade must have given in to gossips and rumours.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Keyamo has no personal interest to serve. He is very content with the assignment given to him by Mr. President and is very much ready and willing to return to his striving legal practice whenever his assignment is over.
“Mr. Keyamo is a big fan of Governor Buni and they both continue to have
healthy conversations till today over the issues at stake.
“This is not a personal issue. It is just for the survival of the party and Mr. Keyamo will always defend and support the CECPC to the end unless the Supreme Court says otherwise if and when the court has the opportunity again to decide with the proper parties before it.
“He will continue to pray for victory on our part. His only offence now is that he sounded a private note of caution because of recent developments at the Supreme Court.
“How someone can interpret that to be hostility still beats our imagination.
“Mr. Keyamo holds Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in very high esteem, he regards him as his leader and mentor.
“That outburst was very unnecessary and we think he succumbed to the emotions of the political
disappointments he has suffered lately, especially in Edo State.
“He should rest assured that we all share in the pain of that costly political miscalculation that caused
our dear party to lose the state to the opposition so cheaply.
“If he is looking for a fall guy, he should please look elsewhere.
“But we shall continue to support all efforts to put
things back on track there” the statement added.
The Caretaker Committee Chairman is embattled following the Supreme
Court judgement on the Ondo State Governorship election, where a minority of the justices pointed out that it was illegal for Buni to hold on to the party’s chairmanship position since the constitution explicitly states that governors cannot hold on to two executives jobs at the same time.
The development ignited the call for his resignation as Caretaker Chairman on the grounds that he is occupying two executive positions.
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