Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomole yesterday denied plotting to stage a come back to the office. He also distanced himself from the leadership crisis rocking the ruling party.
Oshiomole, in a statement in Abuja by his media aide, Victor Oshioke, described the rumour of his chairmanship ambition as false and reaffirmed his loyalty to the party under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni.
The former Edo State governor dissociated himself from a statement credited to Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, an aide of a Minister from the Southsouth, who was quoted to have said that Mr. Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and others were plotting to bring back Oshiomhole as national chairman.
The former chairman said the statement was far from the truth, recalling the role Keyamo played in the dissolution of the Oshiomole-led National Working Committee (NWC) last year.
Oshiomole said: “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 plotting 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.”
Oshiomole recalled that Keyamo provided legal support through his legal assistants in court for those that filed cases for his removal as national chairman.
”Keyamo also offered legal advice on the legality of the NEC that was convened for the dissolution of the Oshiomhole led National Working Committee of APC and emergence of the Governor Mai-Mala Buni led Caretaker Committee.
”It is therefore frivolous for any right-thinking person to assume that Mr. Keyamo who actively supported the removal of the National chairman elected by over 6, 500 party delegates from across the 36 states and the FCT, because 8 out of 27 Ward executive members purportedly suspended a national party chairman, would now plot to bring the same Oshiomhole back to the office.