The man who superintended over the controversial suspension of Mr Adams Oshiomhole from Edo All Progressives Congress (APC) has himself been suspended in a controversial manner.

APC headquarters Wednesday said it has approved suspension of its Edo branch chairman, Mr Anslem Ojezua.

Ojezua was suspended on Tuesday by 11 of the 16 members of Edo State Working Committee (SWC).

The party chairman described the suspension as illegal.

On the same Tuesday, following an emergency meeting at Edo Government House with Governor Godwin Obaseki, Ojezua led leaders of APC to announce suspension of Oshiomhole from the party.

The Wednesday Drama

By Wednesday, both parties reinforced their stance.

APC chairpersons from a majority of the local government in Edo and other state officials of the party gathered in Benin to approve the ‘suspension’ of Oshiomhole.

Ojezua announced the suspension of Oshiomhole and tried to justify it.

“Yesterday, 15 chairmen of APC chapters in the local councils and 23 out of the 35 members of the State Executive Committee passed a vote of no confidence on the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, while a vote of confidence was passed on my person.”

“APC Local council chairmen have found out that Oshiomhole is the one behind the crisis in Edo APC and following the findings, lost confidence in the leadership of the national chairman by passing a vote of no confidence on him. Considering the stand of these chairmen and also based on the report from organs of the party, we affirmed the suspension of Oshiomhole from APC in Edo State,” Ojezua said.

At about the same time as the Benin meeting was holding, APC NWC met in Abuja to approve Ojezua’s suspension.

“Party’s National Secretariat received a notification of the suspension of Edo State APC Chairman, Anslem Ojezua by eleven [11] of the sixteen [16] members of the Edo State Working Committee (SWC). We have reviewed the process they followed and concluded that they have fulfilled the required conditions,” APC national spokesperson, Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, said in a statement.

“We, therefore, uphold the suspension of Edo State APC Chairman, Ojezua while we await the outcome of the fact-finding and reconciliation committee,” he added.

At the Benin meeting, Ojezua, however, faulted his suspension.

He said the state working committee which purportedly removed him did not have powers to do so.

“Our constitution has a provision to remove officers at the state level. It is only the State Executive Committee that has the powers to remove any officer, ” he said.

APC NWC had also in the past said only the National Executive Committee of the APC could remove a national officer of the party. That would mean Oshiomhole’s suspension by the state chapter was invalid.

Mr Issa-Onilu did not speak on Oshiomhole’s suspension and did not indicate if NWC discussed it at its Wednesday meeting.

PT