Saturday, July 31, ward congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, like in many other states, has come and gone but its outcome leaves no one in doubt that all is not well with the party, BAYO AGBOOLA in Ibadan writes
APC’s determination to take power threatened
The determination by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state to wrestle power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) come 2023 might turn out to be a mirage because of intra party crisis.
Venues of parallel congresses
With the just concluded ward congresses, it seems that the APC is yet to put its house in order going by the parallel ward congresses in places like Ibadan South East, Ibadan North West, Akinyele local governments in Ibadanland and at Ogbomoso North local government, the hometown of the state Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, the Chairman, Oyo state APC Advisory Council and former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala as well as the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Akin Dare.
Views against parallel congresses
Younger brother to the immediate past governor of Oyo state, late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Chief Wasiu Ajimobi, the Laguna Balogun Olubadan of Ibadan land, were at one of the parallel ward congress held at Ibadan South East ward 2, Cook memorial Baptist Church in Ibadan said “those having parallel congress in the ward should retrace their steps.
He further noted that, “the address of the venue of the congress was communicated to all members of the party in the ward and there should be no basis for parallel congresses in some areas of the state”.
“As you can see, we are having our ward congress. You can see people gathering on the queue to elect their leaders for the next four years. You can see our congress is going peacefully. Nobody is harassing anyone and our people are civil. I also heard some people are holding parallel congress somewhere but I will advise them to maintain peace. This is the venue of our ward congress. It is written at the APC secretariat that this address is the venue”.
Chief Ajimobi added, “If you see another set of people doing anything called ward congress somewhere else, it is illegal. I am sure the national secretariat will take action against them as stipulated by our leaders. I will advise them to come back here (Cook memorial Baptist Church) and do the needful.”
Confirmation of parallel congresses
As if that was not enough, at Ogbomoso North parallel ward congress, former Vice Chairman, Ogbomoso Central Local Council Development Authority, Chief Ademola Olawale said, “we held parallel congresses in Ogbomoso North local government. Those who belong to Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala faction held their congress and those of us who belong to the Minister, Sunday Dare, held our congress at the collation centre, which is the right place.”
Also, another APC loyalist in Ogbomoso, Mr Dawud Sulayman, confirmed that different ward congresses were conducted in Ogbomoso North Local government area and that the congress conducted by loyalists of Otunba Alao-Akala ” violated the party’s guidelines.”
Alao-Akala’s view
But the former governor of Oyo state and chairman Elders Advisory Council, All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Oyo state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala on his part attributed the parallel ward congress to those he referred to as the fifth columnist masquerading as APC members, saying, those behind it are out with the intention of disrupting the congress in the state.
Specifically, Otunba Alao-Akala maintained that “the purported parallel congress was nothing but the antics of some elements trying to drop the name of the Minister of Youth and Sports Chief Sunday Dare to carve a niche for themselves, adding, the Minister of Sports and Youth Development who is presently out of the country. He is a man who hold party supremacy in high esteem, he is committed to the growth and development of APC and will never be a party to such shenanigans of those mischievous elements.”
“I have not spoken to him today, (Sunday, August, 1, 2021), but I can tell you, he is not party to the dirty antics of the man that claimed he held parallel primaries in Ogbomoso North of all places.
“We held series of stakeholders meeting both at the state level and at the Ogbomoso zone of the state.
“Leaders and elders of the party from Ogbomoso zone converged and fashioned out ways of ensuring we have a hitch-free ward congress and the Hon. Minister was part of us. We don’t have any crisis whatsoever amongst us in Ogbomoso zone of the party and I can vouch for the Minister that he is not party to the dirty antics of the mischief makers.
“Don’t also forget that the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare is a serving Minister and a Front-line cabinet member, a committed party member and a good example to the upcoming generation who will never conspire with never do-well’s to bring down the peace and cohesion of a party he is serving in its Government as Minister.
“Not forgetting the fact that APC is a party with discipline and respect for due process.Even if, per-adventure, there is any form of misgivings,, there are laid down internal mechanisms set down by the party to look into whatever might be amiss. My advice to our party supporters and followers is that they should not be distracted nor dismayed the the sheer ignorance of mischievous elements.’
Peaceful congresses commended
Amidst the parallel congress scenerio, the Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Teslim Folarin on his part lauded the peaceful conduct of the congresses in Oyo state describing it as a “No Victor, No Vanquished” exercise, stressing that with the peaceful conduct of the ward congresses, APC members in Oyo state have displayed high level of political maturity .
”Our teeming faithful members who turned out en mass to exercise their civic responsibility, confirmed that APC is on the right track to dislodge the misruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state in the 2023 general elections. We have shamed our critics, going by the peaceful conduct of the wards congresses. It is a natural rule that in every contest, there must be a winner. In this regard. I appeal to all the contestants across the 351 wards, to maintain the love and interest of our great party within their hearts after the exercise”.
“The outcome of the exercise will determine to a large extent, the unity of our party both at the state and national levels. It is in this vein that I urge our party members who may feel aggrieved or unsatisfied by the conduct of the ward congresses to remain calm and refrain from self help. Our party is guided by a tested constitution with provisions for addressing grievances. Complaints emanating from the exercise, if any, will be resolved justly and amicably”, Folarin said.
No official report yet
Chairman of the APC Ward Congress Committee for Oyo state, Alhaji Gambo Lawan declared that the committee is yet to receive any official report of parallel congresses held anywhere in the state as at Sunday, (August 1,2021) as the three subcommittees he set up spread across the three senatorial districts of the state were still on the field collating the results of the congresses and had so far not informed him of parallel congress, as reported in Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso zones of the state and that if there was evidence of parallel congress, the committee will confirm and take necessary action in line with its mandate from the national leadership of the party.
“I have set up three committees comprising members of my committee. They have started collecting reports since yesterday, (Sunday, August, 1). I have not gotten any official report that there is parallel congress, so far. If I get anything officially that it has happened, we will crosscheck and if there is any evidence of that, we will take necessary action as the party directed us to do. But, in the meantime, I have not gotten reports from anywhere. My committee is still on the field, across the three senatorial districts and they are still working. I have not gotten from any single one of my committees that there is this kind of thing that happened.”
Consequences of parallel congresses
Also, Oyo state APC Caretaker Committee Publicity Secretary, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde said “As far as APC Oyo state is concerned, the party at the centre has warned against holding parallel congress and on that Oyo APC stands”.
He added, “whichever group that does that should be regarded as being on their own”.
All eyes are now on what becomes of the outcome of the ward congresses be it parallel or whatever as conducted last Saturday and the forthcoming local government and finally the state.
Add Pix Wasiu Ajimobi
