APC beefs up security as protests against Oshiomhole heightens

TRACKING____Another set of anti-Oshiomhole protesters yesterday stormed the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Headquarters in Abuja to demand for the removal of the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The group protested amidst tight security at the party Secretariat.

On Monday, another group, APC Young Stakeholders Forum, had protested calling for the removal of Oshiomhole as National Chairman of the party.

According to them, Oshiomhole made the party to lose its Bayelsa State governorship victory in the Supreme Court last week, noting that his chairmanship of the party was a curse.

Yesterday also, another group, FCT Resident APC Youth group, came to the party Secretariat to protest that the APC National Chairman should resign.

According to them, the decisions of Oshiomhole on the FCT APC made President Muhammadu Buhari to lose the election in the FCT.

Speaking to the media, the leader of the group, Yinusa Ahmadu Yusuf said: “A year ago, I led a protest to this particular gate that led to barricade of this gate. The purpose was to tell about the whole world the ways and manner Oshiomhole has been conducting the activities in the APC. This is just the beginning of it but we are capitalising on what we have said about a year ago.

“Before the election, Oshiomhole had gone to all states and interfered with state party’s affairs, including the FCT. Oshiomhole, because of his activities and interference with the FCT party’s affairs; that was the reason President Muhammadu Buhari lost election in FCT.

Under his leadership, he has disunited and disorganised the party. He is responsible for so many irregularities that have been going on in the APC that so many of us are aggrieved and to an extent before election, we even left the party and lost its structure. I am a good example of somebody who is a party faithful but before election, we were forced out due to his (Oshiomhole) impunity. We changed our party and worked for another party because we were politically rendered irrelevant.

“Today, Nigerians, particularly stakeholders are calling that Oshiomhole, who was bestowed with the leadership of this party, has now presented himself as an agent of destruction and therefore, we will no longer tolerate it.

“Oshiomhole, through his body language and behaviour has showed immaturity and inability to lead. Therefore, he deserves not to be our leader from now henceforth.

“We are making it very clear to the Caucus and stakeholders of our party that failure to sack Oshiomhole, we will leave the party for them. Oshiomhole must go because he has proven to be incompetent and lacks ability to manage stakeholders. He has proven to lack ability to bring peace and harmony to the party. He has proven to always interfere with state party’s affairs and showed that he has zero tolerance for accountability. Therefore, we are now saying that the President must ask Oshiomhole to either resign or he is removed.”

However, before the arrival of the protesters, security had already been beefed up at the entrance of the party secretariat.

A Toyota Hilux pick-up of Policemen was brought to the National Secretariat to assist the resident police security men at the party to maintain peace and other.

Also another Department of State Service (DSS) Nissan Hilux Pick-Up was parked closed to the entrance gate