A faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC led by Chief Victor Giadom has rejected Mr Abiola Ajimobi as the acting national Chairman of the party.

Ajimobi who is a former governor of Oyo State and the Deputy national Chairman (South) of the party, was appointed to act temporary by the Nation Working Committee of the party, following the suspension of the embattled national Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole by the Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

But, Giadom, the party’s incumbent Deputy National Secretary who is also member of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC in response to the court verdict laid claim to the position on Tuesday night.

Recall that a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal has affirmed the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Mohammed Lamido, the three-man panel who delivered the judgement on Tuesday, dismissed Oshiomhole’s appeal for lacking in merit.

The court accordingly upheld the decision of an Abuja High Court which had in early March ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole as APC National Chairman.

Giadom’s camp, in a statement by his Counsel, Chief Wole Afolabi insisted that the order of the FCT High Court issued on March 16, 2020 by Hon. Justice S.U Bature in Suit No. FCT/HC/M/6447/2020 to the effect that Chief Victor Giadom is to act as the National Chairman of the party due to the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman remains valid, thereby rendering Ajimobi’s appointment null and void and of no effect.

He said, Consequently, letters have been written to all law enforcement agencies to withdraw Oshiomhole’s security aides and stop the suspended Chairman of the party from parading himself other than Chief Victor Giadom as the Acting Chairman of the APC would be facing contempt of court proceedings.

But, a faction of the party that is loyal to Ajimobi in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu named Mr Abiola Ajimobi as the acting national Chairman of APC.

The move was in reaction to the Appeal Court judgement which upheld the suspension of the Party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole by an FCT High Court, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

“Guided by advice from the Party’s legal department in line with the provisions of Section 14.2. (iii) of the Party’s constitution, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Sen. Abiola Ajimobi will serve as the Party’s Acting National Chairman.

“According to Section 14.2. (iii),of the APC constitution, the Deputy National Chairman, North/South “Shall act as the National Chairman in the absence of the National Chairman from his zone”, the NWC stated.

Meanwhile, the suspended national Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said on Tuesday that his party will go to court to challenge Governor Godwin Obaseki’s certificates if he is fielded by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 19, 2020 Governorship election in Edo State.

He spoke hours after the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Mr Philip Shaibu, resigned their membership from the APC.

Oshiomhole said APC will take Obaseki to court over the alleged discrepancies in academic qualifications if the opposition party in the state presents him as its Governorship Candidate ahead of the forthcoming election in th State.

Oshiomhole said: “fortunate enough, it was the PDP that exposed him in 2016. PDP filed a case at the Federal High Court, amplifying every forgery segments in his certificate.

APC just managed to escape that because PDP filed out of time and the case was struck out,” according to Oshiomhole.

Obaseki had embarked on a high level of consultation with PDP Governors and the State as well as the national leadership of the main opposition party in Nigeria for a soft landing that would enable him to realize his re-election bid.

The Registrar of the University of Ibadan, Olubunmi Faluyi, had stated that Obaseki graduated from the institution with Second Class Honour, Lower Division.

Faluyi confirmed that Obaseki studied Classics between 1976 to 1979.

Rumours of Obaseki defecting from APC to PDP became rife after the Professor Jonathan Ayuba led screening Committee for Edo State Governorship election disqualified him over alleged discrepancies in his academic qualifications.

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