By Ezeocha Nzeh
Security was for the second time beefed up to its brim at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday to avert what could have turned into a bloody clash between the pro and anti Oshiomhole protesters who stormed the party office in their numbers
The protesters who arrived Blantyre street at different times engaged in a free for all as the pro Oshiomhole group tried to stop the protesters from displaying their placards which had several anti Oshiomhole inscriptions.
The protesters who were mainly women and youths were however chased out of the party premises by stern – looking bouncers who pursued and dragged them completely out of the Blantyre street location of the party
The AUTHORITY gathered that in their efforts to arrest the situation, the overwhelmed security men at the APC Secretariat immediately sent signals to the Divisional Police Headquarters in charge of the area and immediately security was beefed up with several Police officers in their numbers and police vans.
A police officer who spoke to journalists at the party secretariat said they saw the two groups throwing things against each other, adding “but we have been able to calm the situation.”
This week is the third in recent time that protesters for the removal of the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole would storm the party National Secretariat.
Also the pro- Oshiomhole has also stormed the party Secretariat in support of the National Chairman leadership.
Speaking to journalists some of the anti- Oshiomhole protesters, who identified themselves as Coalition of APC members maintained that the APC National Chairman must go because he has demarketed their party, adding that they will not back out from their demand until Oshiomhole is removed.
One of the leaders, Umar Mohammed Musa, speaking said, “We are here to express our feelings, to show or tell the whole world that we are not happy with what is happening in our party. The leadership of this party is getting out of hand and that is why we are here to tell our leaders that Oshiomhole must go, Oshiomhole must leave.
“When you look at the situation of our party and what has happened at the last primaries in 2019 you will agree with me that we have no leader.
According to him, “Since Oshiomhole came on board, there is no progress in the party, there is no development, no achievement or tangible thing to show you that there is a good example of leadership in the party. So, that is why we say Oshiomhole must go.
“Even in FCT his leadership led to loss of lives. It was also so in Zamfara, Bayelsa, etc. Look at what happened recently in Bayelsa State, so we are asking what is going on. We have noticed that Adams Oshiomhole is an agent who has come to destabilize our party. He is an agent that want to see how this party would collapse and would not win election in 2023.”
On the claim that Oshiomhole won the Presidential election for APC, he said, “This party won Presidential election because of the helping hands of Nigerians and not because of the leadership of Oshiomhole. The party members and the citizens of this country have the love for the the President. When you look at it very well many of our members who could have won election for us lost the primaries because of the selfish interest of Oshiomhole.”
Also condemning Oshiomhole’s leadership, another speaker, Comrade Zata Nehemaih said, “l want to tell you that since he came in there has been factions in all the states.
“I want to tell you that Oshiomhole has no interest of the party. He is here to destroy APC, he is like a PDP mole. If you look at the last election, APC lost Zamfara, Bauchi Imo, Adamawa, Taraba, Bayelsa and so many other states because of Oshiomhole. Instead of him to add more states, we have been losing states. If they allow Oshiomhole to continue till 2023, l want to assure you that APC will lose the Presidency .
However, Idris Umar Faruk, Deputy Youth Leader APC FCT who defended Oshiomhole insisted that the anti Oshiomhole’s protesters were not members of the APC
Speaking in defence of Oshiomhole he said, “I’m APC member and not just a member but I am an officer of the party in FCT.
“I am here to react to the protest that I don’t know why these persons who are not seeing in any of the FCT politics to be the people protesting in the FCT.
“If they feel they are not happy with what they have been seeing in the party in their states, they should do it in their states. If for us in the FCT, I think we are pleased with our party and the National Chairman of our party.
“If the party is not happy with the National Chairman of our party, some of us who are officers wouldn’t have come to the streets to react to that effect but these persons that came to the streets today to protest, I don’t think they are members of our party.”
