Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor of Edo State, has been tipped to emerged as the leading candidate to replace chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
His emergence is despite strong political pitches by leading South East members of the party for the position to be zoned to the region for inclusiveness.
Yesterday, the APC said President Muhammadu Buhari’s view cannot change the decision of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party on the claim that the President is just one person with one vote.
Meanwhile, the disruption of the tenure extension scheme for the serving executives has continued to generate reactions with party insiders fuming that the prospect of fresh internal elections just months away from the general election could instigate crisis. The assertions were, however, fully set aside by Edo State chapter of the party which praised the President’s decision as a step in the right direction.
Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole are both former governors of Edo State. Oshiomhole’s frontline position, it was learned yesterday, followed his reconciliation with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party whose strident opposition to the tenure extension scheme for the Odigie-Oyegun-led executive helped to turn it into uncertainty.
Ironically, Oshiomhole and Tinubu were at opposite ends four years ago when Odigie-Oyegun emerged as national chairman of the then just emerging party. At that time, Oshiomhole was fully supportive of the aspiration of Chief Tom Ikimi to be national chairman, a move that was itself truncated by Tinubu who successfully pushed forward Odigie-Oyegun for the position.
Ikimi walked away from the party after a public spat with Tinubu, following the election of Odigie-Oyegun as national chairman. Oshiomhole’s candidacy is being helped by the fact that Odigie-Oyegun is unlikely to contest the position on account of age.
The national chairman who is 79, had seen the prospects of a one-year extension as a fitting anchor for him to leave public service at 80 next year. “He has not told me, but I doubt it very seriously,” a close associate of Odigie-Oyegun said yesterday.
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