Trouble Looms in States as APC Holds Congresses

More trouble appears to lie ahead for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its local government congresses get underway across the country today.

Tension is building in several states where contending factions are threatening to hold parallel congresses, notably Ogun and Osun.

There are also at least two court injunctions restraining the party from holding the congresses in some local government areas.

Some of the issues arising from the recent ward congresses are yet to be sorted out with factions inaugurating parallel executive councils.

But Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni, on Friday urged members to conduct themselves peacefully during today’s congresses.

“The leadership of the party has substantially complied with the dictates of the party constitution to promote internal democracy for the success of the congress,” he said in a statement through his Director-General, Press and Media Affairs, Mallam Mamman Mohammed.

The APC faction loyal to Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola in Osun State declared yesterday that it was not part of the consensus method adopted by the Governor Adegboye Oyetola faction.

Aregbesola’s supporters threatened litigation should the party leadership fail to address their grievances.

They accused Oyetola of manipulating the system to favour his group and exclude Aregbesola’s side.

Elder Adelowo Adebiyi, Chairman of the group -The Osun Progressives (TOP) – said: “The Osun Progressives has fulfilled all righteousness to qualify its members to participate in tomorrow’s local government congress. I am convinced that all the candidates of TOP will emerge victorious in the exercise.”

He urged APC members and “those of TOP, in particular, to be peaceful and orderly notwithstanding whatever provocation brought to them. Adebiyi assured all members of the group that the security and INEC have been duly notified of the exercise by The Osun Progressives which is contesting tomorrow’s local government congress in 28 local governments of the state.”

At a meeting of stakeholders of his own faction, Oyetola said party members in all the federal constituencies had adopted consensus for the LG congresses.

At the meeting were Chairman of the Congress Committee, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye, Senator Ajibola Basiru, Senator Iyiola Omisore and Hon. Patricia Etteh, among others.

He said: “There is no doubt that we have very capable hands from the National Secretariat, who are committed party members themselves. They have made their marks and they are here again to conduct a very fair and peaceful congress tomorrow.

“We have adopted the consensus method. I urge party members to stay away from violence and elect new party officers peacefully.”

Earlier, Hon. Elegbeleye said the committee would adopt consensus where there was such agreement while elective congress would be adopted if an agreement could not be reached.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Thursday inaugurated the ward executive councils of his faction of the party while the faction loyal to his immediate predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun, followed with the swearing in of its supporters yesterday.

That came amidst warning by the Local Government Congress Committee in the state against conducting parallel congresses.

The committee declared that any congress conducted aside from the one by the Yemi Sanusi-led state caretaker committee of the party would be considered null and void.

The chairman of the seven-member committee, Wale Ohu, issued the warning when members of the committee met with the electoral committee members saddled with the responsibility of conducting the congress across the 20 local government areas of the state on Saturday.

Ohu also warned those engaging in anti-party activities to desist, declaring that the party will not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable of the act.

“The national leadership of the party frowns seriously against members who are committing anti-party activities for now. We have been sent from Abuja to strictly work according to the guidelines of the party and to strictly work according to the list of the executive members at the ward levels given to us from Abuja.

He said the committee was strictly sent from the national secretariat of the party to conduct the congress.

Ohu insisted that the party would not accept the result of any congress conducted aside from the one done by the recognised state party secretariat.

“This is the only list approved by the nationalsecretariat. Anything aside from this is null and void.

“The party frowns seriously at anybody conducting parallel congress and we will not accept any congress conducted other than the one done by the recognised state party secretariat,” Ohu said.

AbdulRazaq tasks ward chairs to make peace

The governor’s faction yesterday inaugurated the 193 ward chairmen in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, Mallam AbdulRazaq said that “there is a time to fight and a time for peace. This is the time for peace in Kwara state APC.

“We should not send people away from the party. Everybody has his own characteristic ways of life. We should try as leaders to manage the good, the bad and the ugly. I beg you in the name of God, learn how to manage people.

“Right now you are rejoicing and I thank God for that. There is a time to hate and there is a time to love. Now it is time to show love. You just took an oath now to be loyal to the party. Let us remain loyal to the party.

“I urge you to open your minds to be fathers to everybody in your wards. I am begging you. There is still opposition within and opposition outside. The most dangerous people in life are the ones very close to us, and we have some people that are very close to us, who are still with us but they are not with us.

“They are still in APC. It is very easy to pick information from you and use it to strike against us. As leaders, you must not take sides.

“But remember that everything that is good comes from God. Don’t allow anybody manipulate you to take care of his interest above that of the party.

“This is the time to love everybody in your wards. My understanding of politics is to be able to cohabit with the good, the bad and the ugly. The more the merrier.”

Oyo APC stakeholders meet

Amodu told stakeholders at a meeting ahead of the congresses at bury sink their difference if they were desirous of returning the party to power in the state in 2023.

He said: “As party leaders, you owe the party faithful duty of showing good examples by encouraging peace and harmony regardless of our individual interests.

“We appeal to you all to toe the path of harmonization with a view to producing consensus executive committee lists for the 33 local government areas.”

Caretaker Chairman of Oyo APC, Chief Akin Oke, said the leadership of the party under his watch was resolute to rebuild and reposition the party.

Present at the meeting were Chief Iyiola Oladokun, Senator Teslim Folarin, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, Hon. Segun Odebunmi, Hon. Olu Akintola, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), Oloye Adebayo Adelabu, Dr. Azeez Adeduntan, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Hon. Afeez Bolaji Repete, Chief Lekan Adeyemo, Mr. Akeem Agbaje, Oloye Sarafadeen Alli, Alh. Abu Gbadamosi, Chief Kunle Sanda, Dr. Yunus Akintunde, Dr. Isiaka Kolawole, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, Mrs Hannah Ogunesan, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Alesinloye, Chief Ayoka Lawani, Engr. Idris Adeoye, Mr. Soji Eniade and Mr. Bimbo Kolade.

Also yesterday, an APC chieftain, Lowo Obisesan, said there would be no consensus at least in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area (LGA) where 13 members have indicated their interest to be chairman.

have indicated their interest to be chairman.

Court stops LG congress in Gwer East

Stakeholders of the party in Gwer-East Local Government Area had claimed that the APC failed to conduct ward congresses in 12 out of the 14 Council Wards of the local government.

They subsequently filed an application in court praying for an injunction to stop the party from proceeding with the LG congresses.

In her ruling, Justice M.M Orinya further ordered that the Respondents be put on notice to enable the court to hear from both parties.

Pre-APC LG congress conflicts widen in Adamawa court halts Mubi exercise

The court granted the application filed by Idris Shuaibu, who raised complaints against the planning of the congress in Mubi South and asked that those complaints should first be addressed.

By this development, Mubi South adds to two other local government areas in Adamawa State where conflicts are likely to mar or at least detract from the planned nationwide LG congresses of the APC.

The incumbent caretaker executives of the APC in Hong LGA had last Sunday, August 29, held a meeting in Yola and raised the alarm that some elders of the party in the LGA who ought to show the way to peace were working toward shattering peace by sponsoring aspirants who they planned to impose on the party via the planned congress.

Party members in Ganye are also said to be pulling in different directions over the LG congress in the area.

Lalong calls for peaceful conduct
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State yesterday charged APC members in the state to ensure peaceful, free and fair local government party congresses that will sustain the unity of the party and further consolidate peace in the entire state.

Governor Lalong, while addressing members of the party at a zonal meeting in Shendam preparatory to the local government congresses, said the party must resist any attempt by political interests and criminals to hijack the process.

He reminded the members that the path of consensus had been recommended as the best way to avoid rancour in the scheduled congresses. He advised the members to exercise patience and put aside personal ambitions for the greater good of the party and its victory.

Mangu APC kicks against consensus chairman
However, an aggrieved group of the APC in Mangu Local Government of the state yesterday kicked against the nomination of Mr Ladan Abdullahi-Garkuwa as the party’s consensus chairman in the Area.

Spokesman of the faction, Mr Ibrahim Yanga, during a press conference, called for the conduct of today’s congress to determine the party’s Chairman in Mangu LGA.

He said there was no primary conducted in Mangu LGA or any forum held “where Garkuwa was nominated or chosen as a consensus chairman of our party here in Mangu”.

Ondo APC adopts consensus method

The Ondo APC had conducted peaceful ward congresses using the consensus approach.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting ahead of the local government congresses, the Ondo APC leaders said the successes recorded at the ward congresses should be sustained.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu urged the leaders to place priority on the party meetings for the purpose of the progress of the party.

Akeredolu said he had made sacrifices to unite and develop the party, calling for a peaceful congress.

Acting State Chairman of the party, Engr Ade Adetimehin, urged the party members to put the interest of the party above personal interests.

He said the party would not condone any form of indiscipline among members and hailed them for submitting to the leadership of Governor Akeredolu.

APC leaders present at the meeting included former Deputy Governors, Ali Olanusi and Lasisi Oluboyo, Secretary to the State Government, Princes Oladunni Odu; Deputy Speaker, Samuel Aderoboye; Chief Olusola Oke, Ambassador Sola Iji; Pastor Kole Oluwajana, among others.

Buni to APC members: There’s fair deal for everyone
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Hon. Mai Mala Buni yesterday urged members of the party to conduct themselves peacefully during today’s local government congress of the party across the country.

Assuring all party members of a level playing ground, Buni in a statement by his Director-General, Press and Media Affairs, Mallam Mamman Mohammed in Abuja, said the exercise “is a family affair that should be executed without rancour in the interest of the party.

“The leadership of the party has substantially complied with the dictates of the party constitution to promote internal democracy for the success of the congress,” he said.

The Chairman also charged officials handing the local government congress to be free, just and fair to all aspirants, while he urged contestants to respect the rule of the game and embrace the spirit of sportsmanship in the outcome of the congress.

Commending the enthusiasm demonstrated by members of the party to elect leaders at the local government level, Buni said: “We should all abide by the rules governing the election to remain a role model to other political parties.”

The Chairman pledged that the party would address all anomalies detected and told aggrieved members to channel their complaints through the constituted channels to seek redress.

*A Delta State High Court in Asaba had on Wednesday in an interlocutory order directed that the LG Congresses in the state should be put on hold until the substantive suit was determined.

The local government congress is coming after two months of the conduct of the ward congress which took place in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The exercise was postponed in Anambra, Bayelsa, and the Zamfara states.

Despite claims by the party leadership that the Ward Congress was a success nationwide, The Nation gathered that petitions against the conduct of the congress were received by the party from 14 States.

It was also reported that the ward congresses were violent in Osun, Ekiti, and Abia states while parallel congresses took place in Kwara, Ogun, and Osun.

Protests trailed the exercise in Enugu, Niger, Benue, Kano and Delta states.

On Thursday, ahead today’s congress, the Caretaker Committee threatened “to severely sanction members and their sponsors who take the party to court.”

The threat followed a legal action taken by some aggrieved members in the Delta State chapter and the subsequent order putting on hold the Saturday local government party congress exercise in the state and an order directing members of the Gov. Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee to stop parading themselves as leaders of the party.