Aregbesola ‘ll be Oyetola’s campaign manager for second term, Osun commissioner boasts
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress in the State of Osun is far from over as a caucus within the party, The Osun Progressives, has taken Governor Gboyega Oyetola to task over the non-conduct of congresses for the party.
The party is being run by a caretaker committee.
Speaking in Osogbo, the state capital, on the rationale behind forming TOP, the caucus Chairman, Adelowo Adebiyi, faulted the failure of the Governor to call for party congresses.
Adelowo, while arguing that the leadership of the party had become weak and inefficient since the inception of the administration of Governor Oyetola, said that the dictatorial tendencies of the present Caretaker Committee Chairman, Gboyega Famodun, had weakened the party, dampened the morale of party members in the state and thus constituted a danger to the electoral fortunes of the party ahead of the 2022 Governorship election.
The TOP arrowhead dismissed recent endorsements received by Governor Oyetola from some party stakeholders across the state as nothing but a ruse, stating that they were tricks by those who had one aspiration or another to curry the favour of the Governor as the local government elections approach.
Stakeholders from the Ifelodun-Boripe-Odo Otin Federal Constituency, in their thousands, recently gathered at Holy Trinity School, Ikirun, pledged their loyalty and support to Governor Oyetola and endorsed his continuity in office beyond 2022.
The TOP Chairman, who was recently suspended by the party leadership in the state for forming a splinter group, claimed that some of the cabinet members of the Oyetola Administration were secretly supporting the caucus.
He also alleged that the caretaker chairman had abandoned the party secretariat and was running the affairs of the party from his private residence.
Adelowo said, “The reality of the state of affairs in APC today in Osun is not heart-warming as the structure is weak and the leadership seems overwhelmed by its management.
“There are no regular meetings at whatever levels where opinions, views and ideas could be aggregated while members are fragmented and are like sheep without shepherd. This is not an exaggeration, APC members are frustrated.
“It is now clear that Osun APC is being run arbitrarily with dictatorial tendencies. The party’s leadership style has put several members off, to the extent of becoming nonchalant towards the party activities.”
He added, “We are set to strengthen the party structure and deepen democracy through the restoration of internal democracy in the party, such that every office elective position in the party, executive or legislative positions at the ward, local government, state and national levels of government will be democratically determined. This is the only way to eliminate imposition of candidates.”
Adelowo tasked the Governor to ensure that Congresses were held, adding that the present caretaker chairman had spent close to seven years in office, which was against the four provided for by the Constitution of the party.
He advised the governor against imposition of candidates on the party and stressed the need for the party executives to be democratically elected. He contended that such a move would bring life back to the party in the state.
In a swift reaction, Famodun dismissed Adelowo’s claims as inconsequential. He countered that the management of the party could not be vested in a pressure group that was not recognised by the party’s constitution.
He said that if the group had any idea that could benefit the party, it should be channeled through appropriate organs of the party.
Famodun described the group as an “absurd and an unrecognised faction”, vowing never to allow anyone by whatever name called to rebel against the party and cause disaffection within it.
“The constitution of the party doesn’t recognise any splinter group within the entity called APC in this country. The man is a leader in the party, there is no role for a former acting chairman in the management structure of the party. As a leader of the party, if you are aggrieved by any development, there are organs of the party through which such grievances could be channeled. But if you go outside of those organs or you pretend not to recognise them again, then don’t consider yourself as a member of the party anymore. You cannot rebel against a properly constituted authority within the party,” he said.
TOP, consisting mainly of former appointees of former governor of the state and current Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, had been disowned by some party members across some Federal constituencies in the state by members who are loyal to Governor Oyetola.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Political Affairs and Inter-governmental Relations, Taiwo Akeju, has boasted that the party would overcome its crisis and make peace with aggrieved members before next year’s governorship election.
Akeju, while reacting to the claims made by TOP about the chances of the party winning the forthcoming election in the state because of its weak structure and inefficient leadership, said Oyetola would win second term and that the former Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, who is alleged to be in serious rift with Oyetola would lead the governor’s campaign.
Defending the alleged lack of activities at the party’s secretariat since Oyetola’s inception, Akeju said the attention of the party had been focused on meeting the yearnings of the people of the state by the present administration.
He denied the claim that some cabinet members of Oyetola were giving tacit support to TOP. He rather stressed that the formation of TOP was to distract the present administration.
The Commissioner, who spoke exclusively with The Point in Osogbo, said the delay in the conduct of APC congresses was because the national body was yet to release guidelines for the exercise.
“I want to assure you that members of the APC are loyal to the party leadership. The cabinet of Governor Oyetola is 100 percent loyal. It is just a distraction to the present administration. There is no point fighting the government you built. But I can assure you that the Government is focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the State of Osun.
“There will be congress very soon in the party. In all this, we are going to bounce back beautifully. I want to tell you that we are going to make peace with everyone who is aggrieved to the extent that Aregbesola will lead the campaign for Oyetola’s second term in office. The Governor remains the leader of the party, the commissioner noted.
