The lingering crisis within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo state took another dimension on Sunday as the two factions within the party held two separate local congresses across the 33 local government areas in the state.
The two camps battling for the soul of the party include the one loyal to the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi know as SENACO and the one loyal to a former Governor of the State, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina known as LAMISTS, now referred to as Unity Forum.
The two groups, it was gathered, held two separate local government congresses due to the failure to address the crisis generated as a result of the last Sunday’s ward congress.
While the Unity Forum held their own congresses in the party secretariat, schools or event centres within the local government areas in case of security challenges, the one loyal to the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi had its own at the local government secretariats.
In Ibadan North West Local Government Area where our correspondent visited, the Unity Forum held their own congress at Zonta Hall, Jericho while the one loyal to the governor held their own within the premises of Ibadan North West secretariat located at Onireke.
Also in Ibadan North LG, the Unity Forum held their own congress at the party secretariat located at Yemetu Oja, the one loyal to the state governor held their own at the premises of the local government secretariat, Agodi Gate.
The same thing was recorded in Ibadan North East where the Unity Forum held its own congress at the premises of Christ the king School, Agugu, the one loyal to the state governor held their own congress within the premises of the local government area, located at Iwo Road.
DAILY POST gathered that similar experience was recorded in Ona Ara local government area where the Unity Forum held its own congress at l.D.C School, Olunloyo area, the camp loyal to the state governor held theirs within the premises of the secretariat of the local government area located at Akanran.
In Egbeda LGA, APC Unity Forum held its own at the party office located at Wema Area along New Ife Road, the SENACO group held its own at the premises of the local government secretariat in Egbeda.
In Ibadan South East, the camp loyal to the governor held its own congress at Mapo Hall while Unity Forum held its own in one of the secondary schools within the local government area.
Our correspondent gathered that the same thing happened in Ogbomoso South local government area and other council areas in Ogbomoso, Oyo, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa geopolitical zones of the state.
Speaking on why parallel congresses were held, Secretary of APC Unity Forum, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun informed that the need to have their own congresses in all the council areas is because the group, Unity Forum is the one that have legal right to partake in the election.
Olatunbosun, while addressing journalists on Sunday in Ibadan the state capital, said, “There should be because they could not hold their ward congress. I don’t know where they generated their delegate list. As at May 4, they have not paid for the forms. They did not have the tellers, so where did they generated their own ward and local government delegate list? As at Saturday, May 5, they could not produce the tellers for the forms.
“So, where did they get the tellers, where did they get the forms.
“It is the APC Unity Forum that can conduct APC ward congress. It is there that they will generate the delegate list for the local government congress. What matters to us is that we have our own congress.”
But, one of the special advisers to the Governor and House of Representatives aspirant for Ibadan North East/ Ibadan South East, Hon. Deji Aboderin, while addressing journalists at the venue of the camp loyal to the state governor in Mapo, declared that he was not aware of any parallel congress in the local government.
Aboderin, who expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the congress, said there is no other location where congress of the political party is held outside Mapo Hall since 1999.
APC chairmanship candidate for Ibadan South East, Hon. Bimbo Omiyale, who also spoke, said he was not aware of any parallel congress in the local government area.
Comentarios