Major stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Oyo State have called for the suspension of its state congress.
The call was made in Ibadan by a former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and chieftain of the party in the state, Senator Ayo Adeseun, during a press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The press conference, which had in attendance, former gubernatorial candidate of the party, Bayo Adelabu; member of the House of Representatives representing Oluyole federal constituency, Tolu Akande-Sadipe; Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare; gubernatorial aspirant, Mogaji Tegbe; cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Adeduntan; Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, chairman, Prof. Adeolu Akande; former Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, Abass Aleshinloye among other party chieftains, condemned the high-handedness of a serving senator and a former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala who surreptitiously cornered the party and pocketed its ward and local government delegates lists.
The chieftains called for a suspension of the congress following an alleged forgery of wards and delegates lists by the serving senator and the former governor of the state for their selfish reasons.
Calling for the suspension of the congress, Senator Adeseun decried the insensitive manner with which the alleged culprits manipulated the delegates’ lists, despite what was sent to Abuja by the state executives after the legitimate ward and local government congresses held in Oyo State.
Noting that top-ranking party officials said that the call for suspension was in order, Adeseun added that the culprits behind the shenanigans do not have the true interest of the party at heart.
The senator averred that the list sent from Abuja for the state congress was in complete variance to what was sent from the state, noting that there is a limit to what the party membership could condone.
He therefore appealed to the national leadership of the party to take up the matter seriously and if need be, limit the list of delegates from Oyo State to the statutory number, according to the party’s constitution.
He said, “We received information that the list sent in from Abuja had been tampered with by a serving senator and a former governor of the state. In order to safeguard the integrity of the process, we appeal to our National Chairman to suspend the state congress until all of this is sorted out.
“We appeal to our bational excos to suspend this process. Oyo is a sensitive state. The national congventio could be attended by the statutory list of delegates from the state.”
Senator Adeseun added that “Oyo APC is ready to take over only if we are sincere with our hard earned democracy.
“The so-called state congress has been postponed. We have committed too much to the party, than for anyone to make a fool of us.”
