All is not well within the camp of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, OYOINSIGHT.COM can exclusively report.
In Ibadan North local government, the result of the ward congress is generating ripples. They alleged Akinremi Musliudeen, member representing Ibadan North federal constituency in the house of representatives as the brain behind the crisis.
Popularly called Jagaban, Akinremi is a member of the National Caretaker Committee of the party.
Some members of the party who are dissatisfied with the conduct of the last ward congress of the party have vowed to challenged the outcome.
This was coming few days to the planned local government congress of the party.
In a petition sent to the appeal committee, a copy of which was provided to OYOINSIGHT.COM, former secretary to Oyo State government and governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, in the 2019 election, Sharafadeen Alli; son of late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland and former commissioner, Umar Arisekola; two former council bosses – Kamil Omotoso and Abolaji Abayomi; a former Oyo Assembly, Bolanle Agbaje; former political appointees like Ademola Solalu, Yetunde Ajibola and Ayodele Adedokun; party leaders like Wale Sanusi, Wale Murphy, Gafari Ojetola and Sola Popoola all expressed sadness over what they called non-conduct of ward congress in the council area.
The stakeholders who cut across various groups like SENACO, Unity Forum, PDP Reform and decamped from African Democratic Congress, ADC, and ZLP, have all the immediate past councilors, LG party Excos members as well as all the ward chairmen in their support.
According to them, they participated in all the processes leading to the congress but were surprised to be allegedly prevented from submitting list by Akinremi.
”He stormed the place with hoodlums and multitudes of thugs and mobile policemen who intimidated and harassed party faithful. They also shot sporadically to scare away the ward caretaker chairmen and other party members from submitting the result. The results were eventually submitted to the Ibadan North LG caretaker chairperson,” they alleged.
According to them, “Due to the absence of the ward congress committee at the various wards, the caretaker ward chairmen took the responsibility of submitting the harmonized lists at the Ibadan North party secretariat” where they were initially prevented.
They alleged Akinremi of boasting that he was influential to the nomination and posting of members of the state congress/appeal committee and that he will use his position to prevent any other lists apart from his preferred lists as ward, local and state executives.
Urging the appeal committee to passionately consider their complaints, they said “It is dangerous to allow an individual, no matter his position, to singlehandedly write the list of party executives in a local government like ours,” adding that “Our lists must be considered as the authentic because it takes care of all the various interest groups within the party that can work assiduously for the victory of the party in any general election.”
As at the time of filing this report, OYOINSIGHT.COM has not been able to reach Akinremi for comment. He was said to be presiding over an empowerment ceremony facilitated by him.
