As the March 26, 2022 date of the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress draws nearer, a youth group within the Oyo state chapter of the party, Pacesetter Youth Vanguard (PYV), has alleged that there was plans by some named governors of the party from the South Western part of the country to deny Oyo state the positions “which rightfully belong to it in the scheme of things as far as the composition of the new National Executive Committee of the APC is concerned”.
There has been an uneasy calm among party stakeholders in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states over the distribution of the 11 posts meant for the zone from the National and Zonal Executive Committee positions as leaders, who are mainly serving governors, kept everyone in the dark regarding the anticipated microzoning arrangement. Oyo APC is the only state chapter without a sitting governor or a former governor and this implies that it could not have been represented at the leaders’ meeting.
But while reacting to media reports which had it that South West governors of the APC had settled for Engineer Isaac Kekemeke and Chief Iyiola Omisore as the National Vice Chairman (South West) and National Secretary respectively ahead of the Saturday National Convention, PYC said in a statement issued on Monday and made available to pressmen in Ibadan by its Coordinator, Comrade Opeyemi Badmos, and Secretary, Mr. Azeez Olorunnisola, that the development was in bad faith as it was unacceptable to relevant stakeholders in the zone
“We are using this opportunity to call the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the leadership of the APC at the centre to the sabotage being planned by the governors of Ondo, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, and his counterpart in Ekiti, Dr. Kayode Fayemi as they are bent on disregarding the peaceful arrangement in place for the allocation of National and Zonal Executive Committee positions as well as nomination of candidates ahead of the National Convention of our dear party.
“It is on record that all opinions favoured Oyo APC to produce the National Secretary in view of the fact that the chapter is the only one without a sitting governor but the leaders decided in their own wisdom to micro zoned the position to ondo state. This development paved the way for a microzoning arrangement as follows; Ondo (National Secretary and Zonal Publicity Secretary), Oyo (National Vice Chairman and Zonal Special Persons Leader), Osun (National Deputy Auditor and Zonal Youth Leader), Ekiti (National Ex- officio and Zonal Secretary), Ogun
(National Special Persons Leader and Zonal Women Leader while Lagos was given the posts of National Youth Leader and Zonal Organising Secretary.
“It was as a result of this that Mr. Afeez Bolaji Repete and Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle individually obtained the nomination form for the the post of National Vice Chairman (South West) but unfortunately, when a consensus arrangement was about to be made between the duo, news filtered in that Ondo was laying claim to the same post. From our preliminary investigation, we found that it was the two governors that were behind the media reports which was aimed at causing another round of controversy.
“As a matter of fact, Oyo still remains a strategic state to the APC if the desire to retain the presidency beyond 2023 is to be achieved. This indicates that it is only party office like that of the National Vice Chairman (SW) that can keep the large population of party loyalists for obvious reasons. Therefore, we appeal to governors and other stakeholders from the Zone to, in addition to the retention of the post in Oyo, come to the aid of Oyo APC in terms of support and solidarity to facilitate the process of reclaiming the state from the PDP in 2023.
“Finally, we humbly summit that the ideal candidate for the office is the outgoing Deputy National Youth Leader of our Party, Comrade Afeez Bolaji Repete, who possesses the right measure of integrity, education and passion to deliver as expected. The youthful Repete, no doubt, would be able to bridge the gap among categories of people within the party at all levels and thus assist the cause of making the ruling party more cohesive, virile and formidable.” The statement concluded.
