A political pressure group within the All Progressives Congress in Oyo state, Progressive Democrat Front (PDF), has warned unnamed masterminds behind an alleged manipulation of the results of the July 31, 2021 Ward Congress exercise of the party to desist from the dastardly act or risk the consequences of their actions.
The PDF’s warning came barely few days after a similar group, Oyo Progressive Front (OPF), had raised the alarm over allegation of electoral fraud against some forces made up of some serving federal lawmakers and other influential members of the APC within and outside the state who were allegedly bent on replacing the names of elected Party officials in most of the 351 Wards across the state with those belonging to their camp.
In a statement issued at the weekend in Ibadan and signed by its acting State Coordinator, Comrade Michael Adeagbo, PDF submitted that the state Caretaker Committee Chairman of Oyo APC, Chief Akin Oke, also erred by putting too much trust on the Gambo Lawan-led Committee deployed for the Ward Congress as the same Committee members ought to have announced all the names of new Ward Executive Committee members in Ibadan before their departure.
“We have it good authority that the Gambo Lawan-led Committee was later compromised by a clique of undemocratic forces which made them to head for Lagos instead of Abuja after the conduct of the Congress. It was in Lagos they carried out their nefarious activities as most of the original lists were tampered with in favour of some desperate political players and their sympathizers.
“While we are urging Alhaji Gambo Lawan and his Committee members to have a rethink and reverse whatever form of manipulation they might have been made to carry out on the original lists as submitted to them by electoral officers from all the 33 local government areas, we call on Chief Akin Oke to act decisively by releasing names contained in copies submitted to him should the Abuja fail to do the needful in the next 48 hours.
“We are Progressives in APC and we are using this opportunity to inform all Gubernatorial aspirants jostling for our party ticket ahead of 2023 to tread softly because majority of Oyo APC are poised to resist any attempt by any individual or clique to hijack the party no matter how rich or powerful such individual or group of individuals are. We want everyone to play the game according to the laid down rules and without violating democratic principles and ethos.
“However, we still maintain our vote of confidence on Chief Akin Oke and we urge him to be mindful of all bad eggs who might want to mount undue pressure on him to act wrongfully as he plans to hand over the mantle of leadership of our party to another progressive, honest and courageous mind who would not destroy the good legacy he has been able to produce for himself.
“Therefore, it is highly necessary for the CCECC under Gov. Mai Mala Buni not to allow the demonic clique have their way by discrediting a hitch-free exercise and thus upturn the success recorded so far in Oyo APC as anything to the contrary would be tantamount to playing with naked fire.” PDF added.
