No sooner was Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomole elected to the exalted position of National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in June this year, than he began to see himself as a tin god, as the owner or proprietor of the ruling party, and by extension, Nigeria itself.
In his usual combative manner, Oshiomole began to bark, and to issue orders and directives right, left and centre, threatening that anybody who dared disobey any of his orders would be severely punished.
Oshiomole who did not want to know any difference between a political party in government and the government it produced, believed himself to be the General President of these two distinctive bodies.
In consequence, he decided to direct President Buhari’s ministers to, with immediate effect, sack all members of boards of their parastatals, and to replace them with only APC members.
Those who tried to drag their feet for one reason or the other, like Labour and Employment Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, were given the bashing of their lives and threatened with a sack for not complying with the directive. He warned that if these Ministers could ignore or treat President Buhari’s directives with disdain, that he, Oshiomole, would never tolerate any such impudence.
Of course, Dr. Chris Ngige did not spare Oshiomole, as he took time to tutor the Comrade Chairman on the elementary workings of government.
Not done with meddling with President Buhari’s cabinet, Oshiomole went to the legislative arm. Thus, when Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, decamped from the ruling APC to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the loquacious Oshiomole was everywhere, barking and thundering, that Saraki must resign as Senate President or be forced out of that position.
Every now and then, he was on air, threatening and swearing that since Saraki had joined the PDP, that the man would never be allowed to stay longer than one minute in that position, because according to him, the position of Senate President necessarily belonged to the APC.
To make good the threat, not long thereafter, some masked operatives of the Department State Security (DSS) in an unprecedented manner, invaded the National Assembly with a view to undemocratically changing its leadership. Oshiomole was alleged to be one of the unseen hands behind that invasion.
Interestingly, Adams Oshiomole is now in trouble. He is now being hunted. Since after the recently concluded political party primaries, Oshiomole has known no peace. He has been on the hot seat, being pursued, attacked, and accused by some influential members of his political party, in particular, state governors, of being compromised in that exercise. They want Oshiomole to resign as party Chairman or be kicked, and they are not relenting in their demand.
In virtually all the states of the country, the APC members are vehemently protesting, claiming that Oshiomole was not sincere in the conduct of the party primary election, that he failed to deliver the true verdict of the outcome of the election.
We hear that the Comrade Chairman who has been running to the Presidency for protection, was even invited by the Department of State Security (DSS), to answer sundry charges of allegation of monetary inducements during the party primaries.
Interestingly, while Saraki and co., who Adams Oshiomole has been threatening with fire and brimstone or be forced out of office, are still sitting firmly in their respective positions, Oshiomole himself is now being hunted and asked to resign, or be kicked out. This is a case of the hunter being hunted. That is the irony of life.
