THE National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has announced Abiola Ajimobi, a former governor of Oyo State as the party’s acting National Chairman.

This follows the ruling of an Abuja Appeal Court upholding the suspension of Adams Oshiomole, as the party’s elected chairman.

According to The PUNCH, a three-man panel of the court led by Justice Eunice Onyemanam, in a unanimous judgment on Tuesday, affirmed the order of the suspension of the APC National Chairman earlier issued by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on March 4, 2020.

It could be recalled that a three-man panel led by Justice Abubakar Yahaya had already lifted Oshiomhole’s suspension pending the hearing of his appeal as prayed by him.

But the Justice Onyemanam-led panel, which earlier heard the appeal on Tuesday, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

However, in a press statement obtained by The ICIR, signed by Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, the party disclosed that the enthronement of Abiola Ajimobi, the party Deputy National Chairman was in line with the advice of the party’s legal department, backed by the party’s constitution.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has received the news indicating the Appeal Court has upheld the suspension of the Party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole by an FCT High Court pending the determination of the substantive suit,” the statement read.

Issa Onilu added that the action was “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 him, Section 14 subsection (iii) of the APC constitution stated that the Deputy National Chairman, North/South “Shall act as the National Chairman in the absence of the National Chairman from his zone”.

However, media reports had it that Ajimobi is currently suffering from complications from the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Reports say the former governor  has been admitted at the First Cardiologist and Cardiovascular Consultants Hospital, Lagos, since June 2.

According to a former aide of him who did not want to be named, the former governor was in coma for about a week but has since regained consciousness. It was not clear if he was suffering from COVID-19.

Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi is the immediate past governor of Oyo state where he served for eight years of two tenures.

He became the National Deputy Chairman of the party in March 2020.