APC Chairman insists he's not losing sleep over R-APC

When the Buba Galadima-led R-APC announced at a press conference on July 4, 2018, that it was dissatisfied with the APC's leadership, Oshiomhole had publicly dismissed the group, saying he wouldn't lose sleep over them. However, certain sections of the opposition have mocked him after his recent midnight meeting with Galadima, reportedly to ask him to not join the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

After a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Monday, July 23, 2018, Oshiomhole said he will not negotiate with political mercenaries. He said no honourable man that left the PDP after its years of misconduct would willfully return to the opposition party.

He noted that he's only ready to negotiate with party members who have genuine complaints and not mercenaries who cannot "deliver their unit" in an election.

He said, "No, I am not losing sleep. I am sleeping very well. I still maintain that I don't see any man of honour, who with his eyes open left PDP on the account of their gross mismanagement, abuse of the treasury and all of the crime that the PDP committed, I don't see them whatever their irritations.

"That cannot be a justification to return a house that all we need to do is to play back their own tape about what PDP represents and why they left.

"I still hold the view that you can't vomit in the morning and convert it to lunch in the afternoon if you have honour. And that position still remains the same. Number two is that, yes, I have made this point clear that we can distinguish the mercenaries from those who genuinely have complaints.

"Our business as party leaders is to try and manage, listen and find solutions to those who have verifiable complaintss. But those who are permanent mercenaries and are in this business for personal reasons, there is not much we can do about that and we are not going to change the core values of the party in order to retain them.

"So, let me reinstate, we remain committed and I have said so from the word go in my acceptance speech when I was elected that we acknowledge the fact that there are people with genuine complaints. For such people, we are ready to listen. We are ready to act on the basis of justice, fairness, no arrogance and inclusion. I remain committed to those.

"However, on principle, I do not deal with political mercenaries, that remains my position. I will not miss my sleep because a lot of these guys cannot on a good day deliver their unit. And we have the records that tell us who won elections and where. And I am a tested fighter, I fought them in Edo from zero – zero and I overcame their most powerful godfathers. So, I know what I am talking about, I speak from experience and I will talk, negotiate and persuade but there are core principles that are not negotiable."

Oshiomhole threatens to fire Buhari's ministers

Oshiomhole also threatened to fire certain ministers from the APC for disrespecting the wishes of President Buhari.

He said cabinet members, including the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, are abusing the powers of their offices by failing to inaugurate boards of parastatals under their ministries.

He said, "It is the same green pen that made them ministers that appointed these boards that they are refusing to swear in. And it is absolutely illegal for a minister in a democracy to prey on the powers of the board because the laws establishing those institutions are clear, that the boards have procedures to follow.

"We have respect for ministers, but only to the extent that they recognise that they are products of a political party and we are not negotiating that."

He said when erring ministers are expelled from the party, there'll be no way such a 'rebel' will be kept in the cabinet.