The political tremor set off by call for the removal of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, may not ease off soon.
Last week, prominent members of the party backed the call by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, on him to step aside.
By Sunday, his predecessor, Chief John Oyegun, joined the fray, insisting that Oshiomhole lacked capacity to lead the party.
He accused him of “degrading and de-marketing the party, rather than seek to bring more people on board, he is rather chasing people out of the party with his ‘agbero’ style of engagement.”
Other stakeholders yesterday continued to express strong resentment on why the former labour leader must give way.
Shuaibu had fired the first salvo in a lengthy letter to Oshiomhole, where he pointedly accused him of being the sole architect of the party’s misfortune in the general election and advised him to step aside.
The May 27 letter has since generated uproar in the ruling party.
In his six-page letter, Shuaibu, the deputy national chairman (North) said: “It is my honest opinion that your ability to ensure this party flourishes is deficient as you lack the necessary composure and you also don’t possess the capabilities and the requisite experience to run a political party.
“Under normal circumstances, when you take over as a project manager, it is expected that you bring to bear your wealth of experience to the new job which will be seen in your capacity and capabilities as value addition.”
He added that “in advanced democracies, people who fail to add value or build over and above what they met on assumption of duty show some civilized examples, they honourably bow out. In that connection, therefore, I want to advise you to take the path of honour, to step aside and allow the party to embark on the onerous task of reconstruction and rehabilitation in those states it was weakened by the effect or manner the last primary election exercises were conducted or even the task of recreating the party where it is on the path of extinction.”

Oshiomhole is yet to reply to Shuaibu’s ‘step aside’ invitation.
Yesterday, a chieftain of the party in Ondo State, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, said Oshiomhole should not only go, but must give way for the survival of democracy and APC.
He noted that when a party like the APC has someone like Oshiomhole who believed in fatalism, it is extremely “dangerous” for any society.
“From my personal investigations, all the powers he claims to be exercising on behalf of the NWC (National Working Committee) are all false. They never sat to take those decisions. He takes decisions alone without consulting anyone.  He believes he can do anything and get away with it.   And that is why the party is in total crisis, even where it did well during the last elections.
“A good leader should be respected; they may not necessarily love him. But Oshiomhole has lost the respect of every reasonable member of the party. Those with him are those who believe in the rein of disorder.
“Look at me; I have helped to build the party since 2003. APC’s headquarters in my local government and ward are located in my house. Why will I want to leave the party to run on another party’s platform? If the party must survive beyond President Buhari, Oshiomhole has to give way,” Dr. Abayomi said.
A member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu also descended on Oshiomhole, who he accused of  disrespectful to elders and other members of the party.
“Already, the Deputy National Chairman has confirmed that Oshiomhole runs the party without recourse to the NWC. He acts in direct opposite of decisions taken by the NWC. No minutes of NWC meetings which in any event take place outside the party secretariat.
“How would you not have crisis in states with the confusion that Oshiomhole created when he gave the states freedom to choose their methods of choosing candidates for elections. Much of the crisis in states arose out of sheer incapacity on the part of the current chairman. How did Oshiomhole incapacity become booby traps by Oyegun?”

Izuogu in a telephone chat said the comment by the former national chairman should be taken seriously .
“Oyegun is a serious-minded person. He does not talk carelessly . If I were Oshiomhole I will listen to his criticism. Oshiomhole behaves in a manner that is not expected of a national chairman of a party like APC. I use myself as an example; sometimes when I go to his office, he would shout, ‘Go and see my Chief of Staff, go and see my Chief of Staff’, ‘Are you on appointment’ and things like that.
“I am over 70 years; I have played politics for more than 40 years, yet he does treat me with respect. He is yet to differentiate between leading a labour union and leading a political party as big as APC. He is not humble, caring and careful in the use of certain words. He does not carry everybody along. I can say it that he is haughty.”
Izuogu agreed that Oshiomhole’s style is hurting the party but disagreed with those calling for his removal.
“I think he only needs to know that relationship with members is very important in leading a national party like ours. I don’t think it has reached a point of asking him to stop down.”
However, Senator Abubakar Girei, an APC chieftain from Adamawa State, is of the view that Oshiomhole and all members of the NWC should go.
Nevertheless, he is of the opinion that if the national chairman is surrounded by patriotic NWC members, he could still better the fortunes of the party.
“If Oshiomhole is given committed and incorruptible NWC he could still turn the fortunes of our dear party, the APC for better,” Girei said.
Dr. Abdurrahman Usman from Kaduna State also lent his support to the call for Oshiomhole to give way.
Daily Sun gathered authoritatively that the party’s chairmen from the 19 northern states would soon meet to take a common position on the matter.

When contacted, the Zamfara State party chairman, Alhaji Lawan Muhammad Liman, confirmed that the party chairmen in the North would soon issue a position paper on the matter, but declined further comment.
Pressed further to speak in his personal capacity, he simply said, “You called me in my capacity as the party chairman, right?  We are meeting as a group and we will come up with a position as a group. Thank you.