One of the All Progressives Congress governorship aspirants in Oyo State, Prof. Adeolu Akande, has advised Governor Abiola Ajimobi calling him and others who had served with him betrayers.
Urging the governor to remember how many members of the factional Unity Forum of the Oyo APC assisted in all the elections he contested, Akande, who was his chief of staff, explained that the ongoing crisis in the state chapter of the party can lead to its failure in the 2019 elections.
The party has been divided into two factions, with one half belonging to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, while the Unity Forum belongs to some of the governors’ former loyalists and party members from the Lam Adesina group.
In an interview with Sunday Punch, Akande called on party elders to resolve the issues that had torn the party in the state, warning that putting aside internal democracy in the party could cause more disaffection among members.
He said, “Of course, the crisis, if not quickly resolved, will affect the party in next year’s elections. It is my expectation that the national leadership of the party will step in and ensure that the crisis does not linger. It is in the interest of all that we resolve the issues quickly so that we can present a common front for the election.
“The key issue is that we have to follow the party’s guidelines on the congress to ensure justice for all party members. The constitution of the party and the guidelines for the congress emphasise election of party officials because that is the only way that party members will put in their best for the party at all elections. If party leaders do not emerge through democratic means, it will be unrealistic to expect such party men to work with their heart for the success of the party in elections.”
According to Akande, Ajimobi’s former loyalists who had dumped him to join the Unity Forum should not be labelled betrayers by the governor because they contributed to his successes in past elections.
“The Unity Forum is a coalition of several groups within the APC who are bothered about the party’s departure from the path of internal democracy. If they are not involved in determining the affairs of the party, their commitment cannot be guaranteed.”
