
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has denied collecting money from anybody to favour them at the recently held primaries of party, saying if it has to do with money, the governors, who are making the allegation, are better placed to do such.
Oshiomhole, who confirmed that he had âconversationsâ with the Department of State services (DSS), stated that if it is about corruption issue, there wonât be need for intervention of the agency, but the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Speaking with journalists, yesterday, in Lagos, Oshiomhole also confirmed that some influential party members, who were not happy with the outcome of the partyâs primaries, instigated the DSS action.
According to him, he was with DSS on Sunday for interrogation over what he described as âa conversationâ over the primaries of the ruling party.
It would be recalled that reports within the week had it that the APC national chairman was last Sunday grilled by DSS operatives for nine hours after some governors alleged that he received bribes during the recently held primary elections of the party.
He was also said to have been asked to resign during interrogation, but he resisted, saying he would only do so if he loses the confidence of President Buhari, who was in the know of all actions he took during the partyâs primaries.
While President Muhammadu Buhari was said to have ordered an immediate probe on the matter, Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun of Imo and Ogun states, respectively, were fingered as masterminds of Oshiomholeâs ordeal. Both governors swiftly absolved themselves off the matter.
But, Oshiomhole stated that the encounter with the secret police was one of his several âconversationsâ with the agency right from its days as National Security Organisation (NSO) as a labour leader, governor and now national chairman of a party.
The APC national chairman, who revealed that he was the one that went to DSS after an invitation by the agency, said with his experience, there is no way its operatives would have pressurised him to resign his position.
He added that he left the DSS office in his car, contrary to a report that it was a governor that came to pick him up from there.
Reiterating that he took President Buhari into confidence on every state and outcome of the partyâs primaries, Oshiomhole also confirmed that he had discussion with President on Monday to brief him on several issues, including his encounter with the DSS before travelling from Lagos to United States on Tuesday aboard a British Airways flight to attend to a scheduled family matter.
He therefore lashed out at Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for calling on the INTERPOL to arrest him.
Speaking on APCâs crisis, Oshiomhole said though he was not happy having a graveyard peace in the party, majority of the leaders and members are with him.
He said only three governors are having issue with him. According to him, they are Amosun (Ogun), Okorocha (Imo) and Abdulazeez Yari (Zamfara). According to him, his problem with the governors was his unwillingness to suppress the will of members of the party over choice of candidates for the forthcoming general elections.
He particularly said there was no way he could have supported Okorocha to turn Imo State into a family estate, while blaming Amosun for his misfortunes.
He also dismissed Okorochaâs claim that APC has lost five million supporters over the outcome of partyâs primaries, saying the party has rather gained more support in Imo State by not fielding Okorochaâs son-in-law.
