Fresh crisis is brewing within the camp of the Oyo state chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over the alleged hijack of the party and imposition of candidates by former governor of the state, Senator Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja and former secretary to the state government, Chief Michael Koleoso, DAILY POST can exclusively report.
The two political bigwigs, DAILY POST gathered, have allegedly “imposed” their loyalists as members of the newly-constituted state executive of the party.
Oyo ADC, our correspondent learnt, comprises old ADC members, a break away faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), known as Unity Forum, and some stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who were led to the party by the ex-governor, Senator Ladoja.
The duo, our correspondent gathered on Tuesday, had allegedly hijacked the whole structure of the party by imposing their right-hand men as key executive members of the party. This decision made some key members of the Unity Forum who dumped APC to join ADC to boycott the state congress which was held on Tuesday.
Some of the party executive members allegedly imposed by the duo of Ladoja and Koleoso were said to include: Chief Michael Adedokun Adegbite, Mr. Wasiu Emiola, Engineeer Akeem Olatunji and Adekola Adeoye, who emerged as Chairman, Secretary, Public Relations Officer (PRO) and youth leader of the party respectively at the state congress of the party held at a hotel in Ibadan on Tuesday evening.
Adegbite, who hails from Iwajowa local government area in Oke Ogun geopolitical zone of the state, was said to have been nominated by the former SSG, Chief Koleoso. Adegbite, our correspondent gathered, served as PDP chairman during the administration of Ladoja as governor of the state.
Koleoso, who hails from Saki, is from the same geopolitical zone with Adegbite, while Emiola, Olatunji and Adeoye are from Ibadan, the same city as Ladoja. Emiola is from Ibadan North local government area, the same local government where Ladoja’s Ondo street residence is located, while Olatunji is from Oluyole local government area in Ibadan.
Emiola, who earlier served as PDP secretary before he and Ladoja left the party, is from the former governor’s camp while Olatunji who served as Accord Party and PDP PRO and Adeoye are also from the same camp as Ladoja.
Frontline Solidarity Movement (FSM), a group within the party, while condemning the actions of the duo, advised the ex-governor and the ex-SSG not to destabilize the party with their “self serving attitude”.
FSM, in a statement signed by its chairman, Alhaji Karimu Iyiola, a copy which was obtained by DAILY POST Wednesday morning, berated the duo, alleging that, “two elder statesmen, who though, recently joined the party has perfected plans to usurp the machinery of the party without following due democratic tenets”.
Iyiola claimed that “Senator Ladoja who not too long ago left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because he was not allowed to have his way, has concluded plans to impose his stalwarts as the state executives of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Senator Ladoja working in tandem with Chief Koleosho, a former Secretary to the Oyo state government, who himself has lost political relevance in the Oke Ogun region where he is from, to impose their will on the people, particularly against the members of the Unity Forum.
“A situation where a few people will sit down in the corner of a room in the name of elders, to impose their will on majority will not be tolerated in the Africa Democratic Congress, (ADC).
“If they intend to install their stogies as the executives of the party following lay down procedures, there will be nothing to complain about, but to attempt to impose party executives on the rest of us who are obviously in the majority, will be met with vehement resistance by the Frontline Solidarity Movement (FSM)”.
Iyiola, while insisting that the group would explore all necessary means within the law to ensure that Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Chief Michael Koleosho does not impose their loyalists on the party, called on the national Chairman of the party, Chief Okey Nwosu, not to allow the culture of impunity, imposition and godfatherism to hold sway in ADC.
He concluded by saying that, “Senator Ladoja and Chief Koleosho should be advised not to have an exaggerated impression of their electoral worth, as it is obvious that they are living in past glory”.
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