The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oyo APC

  • Oyo APC splinter group ‘Unity Forum’ joins ADC

    A splinter group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, called Unity Forum, has joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    The party had been engrossed in an intra-party crisis that was fuelled by the last congresses in the state.

    The defection of the forum’s members into the ADC might have foreclosed a possible reconciliation of the splinter group by the APC.

    The Unity Forum has nine of the 14 House of Representatives members from the state, two of the three senators, several members of the House of Assembly, including the Deputy Speaker.

    A leader of the group, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, who addressed reporters last night in Ibadan, said the group had decided for a showdown with the other faction of the APC said to be loyal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi after the fallout from the recent party congresses.

    The group had based its complaint on alleged neglect and high-handedness by the governor.

    Olatunbosun noted that 2,000 leaders representing over 100,000 members of the group agreed to join the ADC after a four-hour deliberation yesterday.

    The spokesman said the group, after intensive consultations with stakeholders, earlier set up a 15-member committee to look for a veritable political platform to contest the 2019 elections.

  • Oyo APC to ward, local govt excos: reconcile aggrieved members

    The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged its chairmen in the wards and local government areas to immediately reconcile aggrieved members.

    The party spoke yesterday at its secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital, at the inauguration of the party executives for the 351 wards in the 33 local government ares and 35 local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state.

    The newly inaugurated executives emerged from the last Ward and local government congresses of the party across the state.

    Congratulating the new executives on behalf of the state chairman, Chief Akin Oke, the State Deputy Chairman, Mr. Lekan Adeyemo, urged them to ensure that those who were hurt in any way during the last congresses are brought back to the fold.

    The deputy chairman warned that the party cannot afford to lose any member.

    He said: “Our party’s constitution says it is mandatory for elected party executives to be sworn in. All our new party executives in the state have been sworn in. Today, we are conducting yours too.

    “Immediately we were inaugurated at the state executive levels a week ago, we started the reconciliation of aggrieved party members, and the effort is ongoing.

    “I charge you to follow the same step of the state executives and embark on immediate reconciliation of our aggrieved members, either they are aggrieved with the party or aggrieved with the governor. We cannot afford to lose any member now and we must bring all of them back.”

    The state APC Secretary, Mr Mojeed Olaoya, also appealed to the newly inaugurated executives not to trivialise the reconciliation process.

    He urged the party executives to extend the olive branch to all members who might be angry with the party.

    Olaoya said the peaceful conduct of the congress showed that the party was the most organised, adding that APC would ensure that its aggrieved members were reconciled.

     

  • Akintola: No zoning in Oyo APC

    Legal luminary Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) is an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Oyo State. The former Deputy Speaker of House of the Assembly spoke with LEKE SALAUDEEN on his chances at the primary, his programmes, zoning and other partisan issues.

    What prompted you to join politics in the aborted Third Republic?

    My foray into politics was not by accident; it was designed. I started playing politics right from my university days. Since then, I have been showing interest in developments in my state. I was the General Secretary, Federation of Ibadan Students Union. The President of the University of Ibadan Students Union at that time, Mr Bola Longe, was my room-mate. The person who succeeded him was my friend. We were very close to the late Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige. We were referred to as Bola Ige boys. We are also fans of the former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope (a.k.a Ebino Topsy). I was instrumental to the creation of my local government (Ido Local Government from Akinyele LG). In 1992, I contested and won a seat in the Oyo State House of Assembly. I later became the Deputy Speaker of the House.

    Why are you back in politics?

    I have always been in politics. At the time when the late Gen. Sani Abacha turned the country upside down, I was a member of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the pressure group that spearheaded the struggle for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola, which was annulled by the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime. The Ige boys in NADECO included Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Prof. Tola Atimo, Dr Yemi Farounbi and the late Ondo State Governor Dr Olusegun Agagu. In 1998, we held a pan-Yoruba Congress in Ibadan. That was the peak of NADECO activities. It was there that the Yoruba nation decided to participate in Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar’s transition programme. The congress was well attended by the royal fathers, intelligentsias, professionals and opinion leaders. Before then, most of our leaders, such as Ige and Chief Lamidi Adedibu, were in detention. Some human rights activists like Comrades Awosede, Moshood Erubami. Dave Ajetunmobi and I organised anti-Abacha rallies.

    With that the Yoruba people became united for a purpose. The congress mandated Chief Ige to liaise with people of like minds across the country to form a formidable political party. This led to the formation of the G-21 headed by the former Vice President, the late Dr Alex Ekwueme. Notable members included Malam Adamu Ciroma, Ige, Solomon Lar and Bola Tinubu. The G-21 transformed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP constitution was drafted by Ige. He co-opted me, Mrs Kofo Akerele-Bucknor, Prof. Adeniran, Prof. Atimo and Dr Agagu, to assist him in drafting the constitution.

    When the PDP was hijacked by the conservatives, the Southwest leaders pulled out to form another party. We moved to the All Peoples Party (APP). When we saw Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and others on the high table, Ige said we can’t stay here; we pulled out again. This was three days before the close of submission form for the registration of political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Our leaders resolved to float a new party named Alliance for Democracy (AD). We had to beat the INEC deadline. That was why the PDP and AD constitution were the same. All we changed in the PDP constitution were the nomenclatures.

    Who is your political hero?

    I have two of them: the late Chief Bola Ige and lately, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Both of them studied Chief Awolowo in and out. Tinubu is a talent hunted politician. He appreciates talent when he sees one. In 2000, Tinubu invited me for a meeting, through his Chief of Staff, Babatunde Fashola (SAN). Tinubu told me at the meeting that he wanted me to continue what I was doing under Ige. That was how I was recruited into his think-tank team and that was how I became Tinubu’s boy. I am yet to see another talent hunter like him. The rest are feudalists. Ige and Tinubu are true disciples of Awo.

    The take-over of the Southwest by the progressives was planned by him. I will never forget Tinubu. God used him twice to save my life. He started with the case of one Dr Akintaro who won the Ibarapa East Local Government chairmanship on the platform of the Action Congress (AC), but the Oyo State Governor then, Chief Rashidi Ladoja of the PDP refused to swear-in Akintaro. The case went up to the Supreme Court and Akintaro won and he was eventually sworn-in as council chairman. It was in the process of handling that case that I collapsed in court. It was Tinubu that took care of me.

    When Ladoja was impeached, I handled his case; his impeachment was nullified by Justice Bolaji Yusuf. After the judgment Tinubu called me and asked me to leave Ibadan immediately. On my relocation to Lagos, Tinubu paid my hotel bills for 14 months. Ibadan was no longer safe for me to stay. That was how Tinubu influenced my relocation to Lagos as a lawyer. I returned to Ibadan in 2011, after the victory of Governor Ajimobi. When Tinubu gives you assignment, he will give you all the support to make you achieve. That is why people like me passionately and fanatically believe in his leadership.

    What are your chances in Oyo APC governorship primary?

    I don’t count my chickens until they hatch. I have a good chance. Every aspirant is qualified. All of us are indigenes of Oyo State; we are all good; the more the merrier. If it were to be the era of Ige and Pa Abraham Adesanya, everyone would have known his limitation. That time there was party discipline, respect for elders. This kind of proliferation of aspirants would have not been allowed. In 1992, Lam Adesina emerged as Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate unopposed, because he was the most experienced. Well, it is the constitutional right of every indigene of the state to aspire for the office of governor.

    Do you subscribe to zoning of the governorship in Oyo State?

    The word zoning is meant for cultural and social illiterates. Who are the indigenes of Oyo? The Oyos are one. It is the antics of those who cannot compete; those who have siege mentality that are clamouring for zoning. Anyone playing religious or ethnic card must be suffering from inferiority complex.

    The Oyo people are one, irrespective of towns or location. Oyo starts from Ota in Ogun State to Offa in Kwara State. I am an indigene of Ibadan, but my progenitor Ibikunle was from Ogbomoso. I am sixth generation of Ibikunle. I speak as an Oyo man, I am Oyo proper. We have had six Olubadans who were from Ogbomoso; they include Oba Salau Amminu and Oba Oyetunde. The father of the present Olubadan was from Igbeti. Oba Ali Iwo hailed from Iwo. In fact, three quarters of people in Iwo have family compound in Ibadan. Today, Iwo is in Osun State. The former President of Central Council of Ibadan Indegenes (CCII), Chief Bayo Oyero, comes from Iragberi, in Osun State. Former Governor Kolapo Ishola was from Ede. The grandfather of incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi was from Iseyin in Oke-Ogun.  Are you aware that the late MKO Abiola was from Ojoo in Ibadan? His grandfather was Balogun Ojoo. That was why he was made Bashorun of Ibadanland. The famous Arulogun family are from Offa. A former Commissioner of Works, Bolaji Kareem, is from Isale-Osi in Ibadan, but his grandfather migrated to Iseyin.

    What is your programme for the people of Oyo State?

    I don’t want to let out the cat from the bag. I have my job well cut out for me. I am an Ige, Tinubu and Ajimobi boy. I have been part of the system. Lagos State has set the template for us in the Southwest. All of us are keying into it. I have other things to add, but the foundation had been laid for us by the Lagos State. Tinubu is the founder of modern Yoruba development. From the word go, Asiwaju has laid the foundation for the development of the Southwest. The foundation of human and infrastructural development was laid by Tinubu. The developmental plan of Asiwaju Tinubu which he put in a blueprint since 1999 are vividly captured in the working document of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN). If DAWN is allowed to actualise its aims and objectives, the Southwest in the next 25 years will become an Asian Tiger in Nigeria. I have been part and parcel of the above development plan from the word go. I won’t be a governor that will not know what to do. I am happy to have come across Ige and Tinubu and to have drank from their fountain of knowledge. Today, Southwest is the most stable, peaceful, pragmatic and economically-developed  in the country. People are migrating to Southwest at geometric rate.

    On no account should the people of the Southwest allow conservatives and reactionaries to take-over power in the region. The worst of a progressive government is better than the best, most benevolent conservative and reactionary government. We have seen the result of continuity in Lagos and we are all benefitting from it. We should allow it to continue in other Southwest states.

    Today, look at Lekki/Epe/Badagry axis of Lagos State, the developmental efforts are so phenomenal that one will think that the projects were carried out by the Federal Government. They are the handiwork of Tinubu, Fashola and Ambode. We can’t afford to break the chain. Continuity should be replicated in other Southwest states, so that the efforts of DAWN will be beneficial to all of us. We must give Tinubu boys the chance to be in charge for at least 50 years.

    How would you assess Ajimobi’s tenure?

    His performance in office has been fantastic. Before the advent of Ajimobi, we had government of  illiterates by the illiterates, for the enlightened. It was rather unfortunate that the Pacesetter State could degenerate to a lawless state. In a day, 13 medical students were mowed down. Thugs were in charge of Oyo State before Ajimobi came. I don’t know the magic wand he used to restore peace, law and order in the state. Peace is the flagship of his achievements.

    Ajimobi has attracted 153 industries from China; 32 are completed and functional. He introduced welfare scheme for students and civil servants; free transport from all locations. The Ajumose bus service has been on since he assumed office. He has constructed many roads within and outside the state capital, such as UI–Secretariat by Jemibewon Road; dualised Yemetu-Bere Road; Toll gate-Challenge road dualised; Onireke-Magazine road; Dugbe-Magazine-Eleyele road; Eleyele-Eruwa road; Koso (Iseyin)–Okeho junction; Federal Government College-Taake–Palace-Ejigbo round about in Ogbomoso under construction.; Olivet-Isokun road in Oyo town has been dualised; Poly-Sabo road in Saki under construction.

    If you see anybody criticising or castigating him for his style of governance, you should take a look at the person, he could have been a beneficiary of “ Amala politics of Molete”. Ajimobi has taste and class. He is gold. That is why those of us who want to succeed him must be platinum.

  • Oyo APC holds parallel congresses

    The two factions of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State held parallel congresses across the state yesterday. While Governor Biola Ajimobi’s supporters held their congresses at the headquarters of local government councils, the Unity Forum held their  congresses at the secretariats of the party in the council areas.

    The two factions have been flexing muscles since last week over the conduct of ward congresses.

    Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observed the exercise in different parts of the state.

    The Secretary of Unity Forum, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, praised members of the party who trooped out en mass for the congress. He said they defied attempts by the government to intimidate them from coming out for the exercise.

    Olatunbosun added  “Government officials were all over the place yesterday threatening that policemen and  members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) would be used to disperse party members,  if they assemble for the congress today. But, our members who are delegates were so determined that they turned out in their numbers to vote in the exercise. We have to stop impunity in our party.’’

    A member of the Unity Forum, Prof Adeolu Akande, said the congress went on peacefully, adding that it  confirmed that the group is the soul of APC in the state.

    He added: “Our members were peaceful in their conduct and are determined to ensure that the tenets of democracy as enshrined in the constitution of our party are followed”.

    A party elder, Dr Busari Adebisi, a former Secretary to Government,  had earlier commended members of the Unity Forum for standing against what he called impunity, urging them to brace up for the many tasks ahead of them. He said that is the only way to rescue the party from its present state of comatose.

  • Oyo APC holds parallel congresses

    The two factions of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State held parallel congresses across the state yesterday. While Governor Biola Ajimobi’s supporters held their congresses at the headquarters of local government councils, the Unity Forum held their  congresses at the secretariats of the party in the council areas.

    The two factions have been flexing muscles since last week over the conduct of ward congresses.

    Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observed the exercise in different parts of the state.

    The Secretary of Unity Forum, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, praised members of the party who trooped out en mass for the congress. He said they defied attempts by the government to intimidate them from coming out for the exercise.

    Olatunbosun added  “Government officials were all over the place yesterday threatening that policemen and  members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) would be used to disperse party members,  if they assemble for the congress today. But, our members who are delegates were so determined that they turned out in their numbers to vote in the exercise. We have to stop impunity in our party.’’

    A member of the Unity Forum, Prof Adeolu Akande, said the congress went on peacefully, adding that it  confirmed that the group is the soul of APC in the state.

    He added: “Our members were peaceful in their conduct and are determined to ensure that the tenets of democracy as enshrined in the constitution of our party are followed”.

    A party elder, Dr Busari Adebisi, a former Secretary to Government,  had earlier commended members of the Unity Forum for standing against what he called impunity, urging them to brace up for the many tasks ahead of them. He said that is the only way to rescue the party from its present state of comatose.

    Among those elected as chairmen at the congress held by the Unity Forum are Adetoro Mathew (Saki East), Elder Olu Opawale (Egbeda),Alh S.T. Opadeji(Akinyele),, Adegboyega Aderemi(Ogo Oluwa), Oguntoye Michael Asamu*Ogbomosho South), and Alh Ajibike Rasaq(Oyo West).

    Others are S.Ayanlola (Ogbomosho North), Ganiyu Mumonu (Oriire), Kazeem Azeez ( Ibarapa Central), Mrs Tinuade Adigun(Ibadan North), Alh Kareem Adebayo(Saki West), Pastor Samuel Popoola Akintokun, Alh Lateef Akinsanya,Amusat Tawaliu OlawaleAlh Raimi Adeniyi, Waheed Akinyele, Owolabi Banusomo (Itesiwaju, Hon. Muniru Elegbede (Kajola) and Layi Omokunmi (Iseyin).

     

  • 2019 calculations tears Oyo APC apart

    The jostle within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for relevance, ahead of next year’s general elections, has polarised the party into two camps. The crisis is taking a new turn, with the two factions resorting to a war of attrition. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the issues involved and how they might affect the party’s fortunes next year.

    ALL is not well with the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The fight for the party’s soul is becoming intense between the supporters of former Governor Lam Adesina and the group loyal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi. Supporters of Adesina, otherwise known as Lamists and those of Governor Ajimobi, under the aegis of the Senator Ajimobi Campaign Organisation (SENACO), are fighting over the control of the party ahead of next year’s general elections.

    Following the victory of the party in the last general elections, when the Ajimobi group consolidated its hold on power, Lamists started criticising Governor Ajimobi’s style of governance. Just before last weekend’s ward congresses of the party, the group described Oyo APC as a party lacking internal democracy. It also accused Governor Ajimobi of hijacking the party’s structures in order to manipulate the result of the congresses.

    Lamists also condemned the governor’s resolve to adopt a consensus arrangement in choosing the chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the May 12 local government election, saying it is undemocratic. The group said the popular demand of members of the party is for open and transparent primaries.

    Justifying his preference for the consensus arrangement, Governor Ajimobi said that the list of candidates announced for the May 12 election were arrived at after a scrutiny of the three candidates submitted by the party leadership in each of the 33 local government areas and 35 local council development areas (LCDAs). He added that indirect primaries are enshrined in the party’s constitution.

    A chieftain of the party, Alhaji Azeez Adebayo, described the process as undemocratic and unfair. He said with that decision Ajimobi has put the future of the party in jeopardy, by selecting only candidates that are loyal to him. He said though the governor asked the leadership of the party in each local government and LCDA to submit three names each, many of those announced did not purchase the APC nomination form or possess the party’s membership card.

    Adebayo said contrary to Ajimobi’s claim that the party is one united family that the selected candidates were members of SENACO. He said: “All we demanded for was a free and transparent primary, because we felt the need for every aspirant to be given a fair chance, by creating a level-playing field for everyone. Some people purchased form while the governor hand-picked his loyalists. The governor should allow the people to decide the aspirant that is most popular in their local government. Those selected were pre-meditated.

    “There is no consensus whatsoever on the candidates. Before they arrived at those names, who did they consult? If such a thing happened, I would have known in my local government, given my position in the party. How do you arrive at consensus when you select one from three names sent, when there are two groups in the party? The governor just picked people that are loyal to him. Majority of the party members are not happy with this development.”

    The crisis took a new turn last week when thousands of APC members loyal to the former governor met in Ibadan and called for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and other national leaders of the party, to prevent the crisis from escalating during the forthcoming local government and state congress of the party.

    The loyalists of the former governor, under the aegis of APC Unity Forum, insist that the forthcoming state congress must be transparent and devoid of any imposition, in accordance with the constitution of the party. In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the forum said: “All party members must be allowed to choose their preferred executive members at all wards, local government, state and national delegates to the national convention of the party.”

    In the communiqué, which was signed by its chairman, Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi and Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, the group states: “We are constrained to make this call to avert a repeat of the disquiet, disharmony and crisis which the failure to hold free and fair primaries in accordance with the party constitution to elect party candidates for the proposed local government election has caused the APC in Oyo State.”

    The forum equally wants the national leadership of the APC to “beam its searchlight on Oyo State chapter, if truly it cares for free and fair congresses. Failure to do so, we believe, will spell doom for the fortunes of the party in the 2019 elections.”

    Among those who attended the meeting are 2019 governorship aspirants, a representatives of Minister of Communication, Mr Bayo Shittu, a representative of the State Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Adeyemo, two senators, members of the House of Representatives, including Mr Dapo Lam Adesina, chairmen and members representing the state at Federal Boards and Commissions.

    Shittu who is nursing the ambition to succeed Ajimobi had accused the governor of planning to hijack the structures of the APC in the state ahead of the congresses. He cited the recent inauguration of the Elders’ Council and the appointment of caretaker chairmen for local councils and LCDAs as calculated moves by the governor to achieve his mission. He said the governor’s actions were alien to the APC constitution.

    The minister added: “The appointment of zonal leaders or elders advisory council for the APC in Oyo State is unconstitutional and it is a clear attempt to make the state executive of the party irrelevant. It is so clear. There is no position of zonal leaders in our constitution. We must challenge that because it will be used for sinister motives. We have the state executive of the party recognised by the constitution.

    “As at today, the party is at a stage where the bubble may burst, the only power I have now is to speak out my mind, so as to inspire people of like minds. If I discuss with him (the governor) with the rate things are going and he says no, will I have the moral leverage to come to the open and start talking? For me, I think the party leadership at the highest level should intervene. People are frustrated; these are the people who contributed to the emergence of the governor in 2011 and his re-election in 2015. We don’t want the APC to go the way of the PDP.”

    Reacting to the comments, the Oyo State APC Publicity Secretary, Dr Olatunde AbdulAzeez, said “members of the so-called APC Unity Forum are out to create chaos and disunity within the party”. He added: “The truth is that those who are trying to blackmail Governor Ajimobi who is the leader of the APC in Oyo State are afraid of their shadows. If they can come out to tell us who they are, one-on-one, then we will tell them how they got to where they are.

    “The allusion that Ajimobi is not being democratic in handling party matters is a way of calling the dog a bad name in order to hang it. In truth, Governor Ajimobi has always differed to the party and the party leaders in all decisions to be made. He has never at any point in time arrogated unnecessary power to himself. What is internal democracy? He has been consulting party leaders at every stage before decisions are taken.

    “If they are true members of the APC, they should have copies of the party’s constitution and avail themselves of Article 20 (page 74), which deals with elections and appointments. Article 20 states that ‘unless otherwise provided, all party posts prescribed as implied by the constitution shall be filled by democratically conducted election at the respective national convention or congress subject, where possible, to consensus, provided that where a candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of yes or no by ballot or voice should be called’ to ensure it was not an imposition which could bring discontent and crisis.”

    The APC spokesman said the emergence of chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the forthcoming local government election followed due process. He said the candidates emerged in line with the provision of the APC constitution.

    A member of the forum, Hon. Isiaka Salami, said the group called for the intervention of the national leadership in Oyo APC crisis, because the governor no longer has regard for other members of the party, apart from those he considers his loyalists.

    Salami said: “Ajimobi is putting minority on the majority members of the party. He does not listen to us, because he does not see as his loyalists. He has polarised the party in the state. Look at my own local government, Kajola, the governor imposed the chairman of the caretaker committee who will still run for the chairmanship election. The man is from Ilua, which is not up to a ward. Ilua is now in control of Kajola.

    “To make the matter worse, the Head of civil service in Oyo State, a woman now determines political matters affecting Oke-Ogun, because she hails from there. Why should a civil servant be involved in political matters? If she wants to play politics, she should resign and join politics.

    “The game plan of Governor Ajimobi is to ensure that his loyalists emerge at the ward and local congresses. He wants to have a grip over the ward, local government state executives, because it is the party executives at the local government that would form the Electoral College that would determine the governorship candidate.

    Salami added: “It’s most likely we will have a parallel congress, if the governor went ahead to impose a governorship candidate on us. We want the governorship candidate to come from Oke-Ogun. The general consensus in Oyo State is that Oke-Ogun should produce the next governor.”

    A public affairs analyst, Dr Alex Agunbiade, said the split in Oyo APC started after Ajimobi emerged as governorship candidate in 2011. The development, he said, did not go down well with the Lam Adesina group. His words: “On several occasions when Lam was alive he had complained that appointments made by Ajimobi were skewed in favour of his group, SENACO. The no-love-lost relationship between the two camps is age long.”

    Agunbiade said the death of Lam Adesina should have created an opportunity to put an end to the internal rancour and division in the party. But rather than close ranks, by making the party a united family, efforts were not made in that regard. As a result, members of the APC in Oyo State still identify themselves either as Lamist group or SENACO camp. It is unfortunate. The division is posing a grave challenge to the party’s strength, as 2019 general elections draw near.

     

     

  • Forum seeks fair Oyo APC congresses

    Supporters of one-time Governor Lam Adesina have demanded a free and fair congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.

    The loyalists, claiming to have been marginalised by Governor Abiola Ajimobi, urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the national leaders of the APC to closely monitor the party’s affairs to avoid a “dismal failure” in the ward, local and state congresses.

    They met at the weekend under the aegis of APC Unity Forum.

    Those at the meeting according to a statement by Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, its secretary, were governorship aspirants, representative of Minister of Communication Adebayo Shittu, representative of Deputy Governor Moses Alake Adeyemo, two senators, members of the House of Representatives including Dapo Lam-Adesina, among others.

    Others include 19 members of the House of Assembly, 20 former members of the Assembly, 25 former Caretaker Chairmen, local government chairmen and notable leaders across the 33 local government areas.

    The communiqué, signed by the Chairman Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi and Olatunbosun, said: “The forthcoming congresses must be transparent, devoid of any imposition and in accordance with the party’s Constitution. Therefore, party members must be allowed to choose their preferred executive members at all wards, local government, state, and national delegates to the national convention of the party.

    “We are constrained to make this intervention to avert a repeat of the disquiet, disharmony and crisis resulting from the failure to conduct credible primaries for local government elections.

    “The forum urges the national leadership to beam its special searchlight on Oyo State if it truly cares for free and fair congresses, failure of which we believe will spell doom for the fortune of the party in 2019.”

    The forum also endorsed President Buhari for a second term with a promise to deliver three million votes.

  • Oyo APC candidates for May 12 LG poll emerge through consensus

    Candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the proposed May 12 election into the 33 Local Government and 35 Local Council Development Areas of Oyo State were elected through indirect primaries, on Friday.

    The state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo; State Chairman of the APC, Chief Akin Oke; his Deputy, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi; and Secretary, Hon. Mojeed Olaoya, supervised the election, which took place at Lafia Hotel, Ibadan.

    The names of the consensus chairmanship candidates were read at the occasion, while councillorship aspirants were directed to visit their council areas to check those that also emerged through the consensus arrangement.

    Addressing delegates at the event, the governor said that the consensus arrangement was adopted in line with Section 20A, Subsection 1,2,3 and 4 of the party’s constitution.

    He said that the section empowers party’s leaders and stakeholders across the state to deliberate and reach a consensus on how to pick candidates for elections, in order to avoid what he called bad blood within the party’s hierarchy.

    The governor explained that the desire of the party’s leadership to forestall rancour and the determination to go into the election as a united entity informed the adoption of the consensus arrangement.

    Ajimobi said, “The adoption of consensus was a decision of the party’s stakeholders to avoid disunity and acrimony that could lead to failure.

    “Let us thank God for the peaceful outing. You will see that most election primaries have always been very rancorous, but in our own case, it was very peaceful and was conducted in line with the constitution of our party.

    “Particularly, if you look at page 74, Sections 1,2,3,4 of our constitution it was clearly stated that once you have elected members from the wards to the various levels of the party organs, you can have them as a collegiate group.

  • Oyo APC carpets PDP chief Makinde over comment on budget

    Oyo APC carpets PDP chief Makinde over comment on budget

    The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Seyi Makinde, to stop his “deliberate” misrepresentation of facts about his year’s budget.

    The party said Makinde needed some tutorial in elementary mathematics to perform well as an elective office holder.

    It said Makinde’s desperation to govern the state was beclouding his sense of judgment.

    Oyo APC said 12 per cent of this year’s budget would be about N32 billion, as against Makinde’s miscalculation that N15 billion represented 12 per cent of N271 billion of the budgeted for the Governor’s Office in the current fiscal year.

    In a statement by its Director of Media, Research and Strategy, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, the party said it was premeditated mischief and malicious intent that motivated Makinde’s allegation that Governor Abiola Ajimobi allocated less than three per cent, two per cent and one per cent in the budget to Agriculture, Health and Education.

    It added that 11.67 per cent of the estimate was budgeted for youth-related activities, 10.30 per cent for Agriculture and 5.6 per cent was budgeted for the Governor’s Office.

  • Ajimobi’s son’s wedding: Oyo APC berates critics of Buhari’s attendance

    Ajimobi’s son’s wedding: Oyo APC berates critics of Buhari’s attendance

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has lambasted critics of President Muhammadu Buhari for attending last Saturday’s wedding of Governors Abiola Ajimobi’s son and Abdulahi Ganduje’s daughter in Kano.

    Critics condemned Buhari for attending the wedding in the midst of reports of killings in the north and the kidnap of 110 school girls in Dapchi, Yobe State.

    But the party said the critics acted in bad faith, politicising everything happening in the society.

    President Buhari, 22 governors and other dignitaries defied political, religious and ethnic sentiments to witness the wedding of Idris Ajimobi and Fatimah Ganduje.

    A yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, observed that the event was not held to downplay the mood of the country as it concerns the security situation in some states.

    The statement reads: “Without any fear of contradictions, a new chapter was opened in the country’s history last Saturday, when another solid foundation was laid for the unity, oneness and togetherness of the Nigerian people.

    “At a time that the fear of disintegration heightened because of the unpatriotic activities of some disgruntled elements, a marriage of this nature was a necessity to rescue the situation and ensure that Nigeria remains an indivisible entity.

    “Rather than cut the nose to spite the face, critics of President Buhari should appreciate him for being passionate and affectionate to the cause of nationhood. This was a leader who had decimated the ranks of Boko Haram insurgents as against what was obtainable before May 2015. But for him, terrorists would have overrun Nigeria and most people within and outside the country can attest to this fact.

    “Meanwhile, hope keeps rising for the return of the school girls abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State, as well as their remaining counterparts from Chibok. All we need do as a people is to intensify prayers for the safe returns of these girls, as well as other captives.

    “We appeal to unscrupulous politicians who are found of politicising every issue to desist from such. It should be noted that a President of any country is for all the people of that country, regardless of their mood or current situation.

    “While a President shows empathy for the depressed, nothing should stop him from identifying with those with genuine cause of celebration at the same time.”