The crisis in the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is not going to be resolved anytime soon, OYOINSIGHT.COM can report.
Today’s meeting will not achieve any tangible result. It will further divide members of the party.
They may have to go to Abuja again.
This newspaper recalls that crisis had engulfed the party when a former commissioner for lands and housing, Ajiboye Omodewu, emerged chairman of the party’s congress held at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan. Few hours before the emergence of Omodewu and other Excos, Akin Oke, the outgoing chairman of the party had alleged falsification of delegates’ list. Some stakeholders also gathered at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan, that Saturday to announce their displeasure with the process. They later boycotted the congress. The chairman of the congress committee, Lawan Gambo, was for more than 12 hours at a Jericho apartment, held hostage by thugs sponsored by politicians.
The gladiators, OYOINSIGHT.COM understands, were later invited to the national headquarters of the party. They were later asked to go back home to follow the zoning arrangement put together by the former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala elders’ advisory council. They were given a week deadline.
But they could not meet the deadline. A meeting that was fixed for Alao-Akala’s house on Wednesday was cancelled at the final minutes. This was because Oke had presided over a meeting of the zonal leaders on Tuesday at the party’s secretariat. Oke had accused Alao-Akala of denying them access to his house on Tuesday.
Irked by the development, the former governor, OYOINSIGHT.COM learnt, had made calls to Abuja. The national caretaker secretary, James Akpanuodehehe was said to have initiated a three-way call involving him, Oke and Alao-Akala where it was resolved that they should both carry each other along in the harmonization process. The deadline was extended.
This newspaper recalls that the party had, after getting extension notice from Abuja, fixed today for the exercise.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Alao-Akala had Wednesday evening, sent out messages, with his Bodija Estate G.R.A as venue. In what looked like a counter reaction, Oke on Thursday, released another message, with the party’s Oke-Ado permanent secretariat as venue.
As things stand, it is not sure whether the meeting will hold at the residence of former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala or the party’s secretariat.
Two separate letters sent out by the former governor and Dr. Isiaka Kolawole, secretary of the elders advisory council, on Wednesday evening, have Alao-Akala’s Bodija residence as venue. The letters gave the names of attendees as Alao-Akala, Oke, the 7 zonal leaders and the outgoing secretary, Mojeed Olaoya. The letter reads that the appeal committee of the party would be on ground to monitor the meeting.
That of Oke has Oke-Ado as venue. It invited the former governor, two former deputy governors, himself and 7 zonal leaders
The time was same in the three letters – 11 am.
Interestingly, Alao-Akala and Oke are from the same Ogbomoso North local government area of the state.
