Ministers from the South-south have endorsed the deputy national secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Victor Gaidom, to replace the embattled national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
Four of the ministers attended a meeting of South-south leaders of the APC in Abuja on Thursday where the resolution was passed, PUNCH newspaper reports.
The ministers are Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation), Osagie Ehanire (Health), Festus Keyamo (State, Labour) and Goddy Jeddy Agba (State, Power).
PREMIUM TIMES efforts to reach the ministers were unsuccessful. Calls and text messages sent to Mr Keyamo and the spokespersons of Mr Amaechi (David Iyofor) and Mr Ehanire (Enafee Bob-Manuel) were not replied.
Mr Oshiomhole, who was suspended last week by an Abuja High Court, is from Edo State, also in the South-south.
Mr Gaidom has since taken over the party’s secretariat, brushing aside protests from Mr Oshiomhole’s faction in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Mr Gaidom has also called a meeting of the National Executive Committee for March 17, a decision that has also been upheld by the same court with an addendum that the resolutions from the meeting should take effect without any obstruction.
According to the PUNCH newspaper report, the South-south leaders caucus reached the resolution on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting attended by four federal ministers from the zone.
The leaders in a communique read by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, asked members of the party from the region to attend the NEC meeting called by Mr Giadom.
“At the meeting, the leaders of the zone deliberated extensively on the situation in the party and at the end of the meeting, they adopted the following resolutions:
“That as a party, we commend our brother, the Acting Chairman of the APC, Victor Giadom, for rising to the occasion by providing leadership for the party in this trying times.
“That we fully support the convening of the National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, as the NEC is the only recognised organ under the constitution of our party to resolve the APC crisis.
“That we insist that the party should respect the current zoning arrangement by retaining the chairmanship of our great party in the South-South zone even in an acting capacity,” the resolution stated.
