The Court of Appeal has upheld the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying his appeal against his suspension from the party and from his position is lacking in merit.
It was a sucker punch deftly delivered Tuesday evening as Governor Godwin Obaseki who spoke with the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari said goodbye to the APC in frustration.
Although details of the conversation between the President’s Chief of Staff and the embattled Edo State Governor were never revealed, Obaseki said he had no other option than to resign his membership of a party that brought him to power.
Across the country, news of Oshiomhole’s removal by the Court of Appeal has spread like bush fire, with close associates of the Edo strongman seriously in shock.
In other APC circles, particularly in Rivers and Edo, APC members broke into jubilation as news of the fall of their tormentor-in-chief broke and supporters of Adam Oshiomhole in those states scurried for cover.
Apparently, Oshiomhole who had benefited from the intervention of the President a couple of weeks ago when he had his back to the wall had forgotten that part of the deal was for normalcy to return to Edo State.
But it would appear that Oshiomhole did not see the hand writing on the wall, as he mobilized forces to edge out a sitting governor who had succeeded him in office.
Tuesday, the Court of Appeal struck, opening a new can of worms and distancing the National Chairman of the ruling party from his coveted seat, with a stern order restraining him from parading. The court similarly ordered the authorities to withdraw Oshiomhole’s security details.
Caught unawares and left in the cold, Oshiomhole must be contemplating his next move. Only the country’s Supreme Court can save him now. It is not clear if the former labour leader and Governor of Edo State, given the circumstances of his fall, would consider this possibility.
Obaseki had earlier admitted after his meeting with Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to the President, that he was already having talks with the Peoples Democratic Party in the wake of his decision to resign from the APC, but he noted that whatever step taken by him would be guided by the best interest of the Edo people.
Back home in Benin, Obaseki’s deputy announced his resignation, saying he would go along with his principal.
On social media which have been inundated by accounts of Oshiomhole’s coup against Obaseki, there was a new tale to tell, and new reactions to anticipate Tuesday night.
The Telegraph had reported in its current edition which is on the streets that there were strong indications that the All Progressive Congress may turn into a complete battle ground in the weeks to come, especially as the National Party Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole navigates murky political waters in his bid to establish effective control of party machinery.
And pursue what some say is a secret agenda on behalf of a presidential aspirant who is warming up in the wings.
Fresh from a titanic battle in which he was involved, Oshiomhole said after the ratification of the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki that the party had revoked a clause which forbids party members from seeking legal redress in court, without exploring internal mechanisms for conflict resolution.
Across board, there are festering differences among party members. In Lagos where Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu is fighting to stall the presidential ambition of Rauf Aregboshola, a former governor and serving minister, reports say the Lagos strongman has ordered the dismantling of his political structure.
The implication is that Rauf’s aspiration is beginning to interfere with what is seen as Tinubu’s ambition to be president.
In Rivers where suspected cronies of Tinubu and the erstwhile National Chairman have been at war with the mainstream led by the Minister of Transportation , Rotimi Amaechi, a litany of court cases have been raging on.
Nobody is sure when the ongoing struggle in the Rivers APC will end although many are beginning to think it may be time to talk if the party would survive.
In Edo, Oshiomhole has succeeded in shoving aside Governor Obaseki who is now forced to look elsewhere in order to sustain his gubernatorial ambition.
Obaseki had said after the screening committee messed him up that he would not appeal against the decision to exclude him.
Up North, especially in the North East, there are growing splits within the ranks of APC members. Even governors who won on the platform of the party are being sucked in by the crisis.
Without party discipline, analysts fear that the party might be headed for the abyss as strange bedfellows intensify their bid for power.
Insiders within the party are of the view that the silence of the President who is currently serving his second tenure is not helping matters.
Despite calls urging President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in time, the Villa is rather watching events from the sideline.
Given the position of NWC which was communicated by Oshiomhole, what would be seen in the APC is the survival of the fittest.
As the infighting inside of the APC develops, it is almost certain that a segment of the party would be forced to leave.
The difficulty, particularly in resolving conflicts point to this fact. Most leaders of the party have suddenly gone quiet, with some saying that the ominous silence may be signs of a gathering storm.
Will Buhari be the last APC president? How will things play out in the party which took Nigerians by storm in 2015?
It is difficult to predict. Should the APC lose in 2023, its failure would be a product of its internal contradictions and the uncouth attitude that those scheming to succeed Buhari are adopting at this time.
But mother luck might be acting in favour of the APC. Oshiomhole who appeared to favour court action has become a principal victim of his own medicine. He has lost power through the courts. The justices unanimously agreed with the Oshiomhole – should – go – verdict.