Junaid Mohammed, elder statesman and Second Republic federal lawmaker has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will continue to be in crisis because its national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was handpicked and not the popular choice of the party members.
Junaid, who spoke on the latest crisis in the party where Oshiomhole escaped being removed by a hair’s breadth, said the fact that he still struggling to cement his leadership in almost two years in office shows that he was a wrong choice that is not accepted by the majority of APC members.
Speaking in a chat with , Junaid also blamed Oshiomhole for the crisis in Edo state, saying the fact that he assisted Governor Godwin Obaseki to power does not mean the governor should do his bidding.
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He said: “Adams Oshiomhole was handpicked and made the chairman of the APC. He wasn’t clearly the choice of the party.
“Secondly, Oshiomhole had certain material expectations about his positions in Edo state.
“He saw to it that he put somebody as his successor who will serve as his errand boy so that after leaving office as governor, wherever he was, he will be the god, the king and Jupiter of Edo politics.
“Oshiomhole was born in a village called Iyamho. He spent most of his working life in Kaduna as a textile factory worker. He later became a trade unionist and through that, he now joined politics. Eventually, he became the governor for two terms in Edo state.
“I have no doubt in my mind that he has issues with the current governor. Politics is not a question of morality. You must not say because you put somebody in position, then he must do your bidding. Mind you, he not only has problem with just Obaseki, what about other governors who don’t like him?
“So, the fact of the matter is that his becoming National Chairman was a wrong choice. He shouldn’t have been there because he was not a popular choice.
“The fact that after almost two years, he is still having problems consolidating himself as the leader of the party shows that he was never popular or accepted.
“APC as a party is also a burden of contradiction. They behave as a populist party but everything they do is fascistic. They have no internal democracy in the party. Look at how some of their governors have been behaving. In fact, they have been worse than PDP.”
On the way forward, Junaid said the APC should call an extraordinary convention where a new chairman who is the choice of the majority will be elected.
“If indeed, this issue will be resolved, they should call an extraordinary convention and then choose a new leader who they can trust, that will be the popular choice of the majority.
