Following the directive of the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, a seven-man Ward Congress Committee for Oyo State, on Friday held a crucial meeting with officials, leaders and stakeholders of the progressive family in the state, as they agreed on consensus executives at the ward level.
The enlarged stakeholders meeting, which was held at the Oke-Ado, Ibadan state secretariat of the APC, focused on modalities for the ward congresses in the state.
According to the Oyo State APC Ward Congress Committee chairman, Alhaji Gambo Lawal, the meeting was called to bring all party gladiators together to rub minds on the forthcoming congresses towards achieving cohesion and acceptable consensus.
Lawal, while speaking with journalists after the meeting, said their mandate from the national secretariat of the party is to encourage consensus, so that all disagreement, misunderstanding will be resolved as a family.
He said, “Our mandate from the National Secretariat of the APC, as a guideline, is to encourage our members, APC members, to let everybody understand that this is family affair.
“We are not having election with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or other parties, it is within a family, we encourage consensus, so that we can resolve trouble, misunderstanding and disagreement, because we lost last election in Oyo because there was no understanding, there was no agreement.
“There was too much personalisation, some people put their personal interest above the collective interest. So, we need to encourage them, unite them, and give them some words of wisdom, but where there are no agreement, we will go ahead and conduct congress.”
Other members of the Lawal-led Oyo APC Ward Congress Committee include: Hon. Friday Sanni, Hon. (Eng.) Akintunde Adegboye, Saidu Musa Abdullahi, Barrister Ephraim Bombo, Barr. Rotimi Bello and Dr. Bukola Ayanwuyi.
Present at the stakeholders’ meeting were: the Oyo State Caretaker Chairman of the APC, Chief Akin Oke; Senator Teslim Folarin (Oyo Central), Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (Oyo North), Rt. Hon. Olusegun Odebunmi, Engr. Joseph Tegbe, Chief Adebayo Adelabu and Hon. Mojeed Olaoya.
Other critical stakeholders at the meeting include party elders, members of the state and national Assemblies, both past and serving, and members of the state executive council, among others.
The meeting enjoined all the stakeholders to sensitize and encourage members and supporters of the party at the grassroots to peacefully participate in the exercise without any rancour or misgivings.
