Peace may have finally returned to the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, if information obtained by the concerned online news medium is anything to go by.
Thrice on Thursday, leaders of the party in the state met in Abuja and deliberated on the way forward. Thursday’s meeting was the first time members of the two major groups in the party would meet in two years.
A follow-up meeting, a top source at yesterday’s meeting said, has been planned for Governor Kayode Fayemi’s Jericho, Ibadan residence next week, after which a press conference on the outcome will follow at the Oke Ado state secretariat of the party.
Fayemi’s house was chosen when some participants at the meeting rejected Alao-Akala’s Bodija Estate residence as venue of the meeting.
”As the meeting was being concluded, former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala had asked Governor Badaru to allow him handle the Ibadan leg of the meeting when Sen. Adesoji Akanbi raised an objection. Akanbi’s argument was that Alao-Akala is not neutral as he led group to the Abuja meeting. It was after that the Badaru offered to pay for any hotel to be used for the event in Ibadan that Governor Kayode Fayemi intervened. They later agreed to hold it at Fayemi’s house.
Already, some of those who had dumped the party are almost back in the party. The presence of Senators Ayo Adeseun and Olufemi Lanlehin, candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the 2019 governorship election, lit up the meeting.
Others at the meeting included former deputy governor, Moses Alake Adeyemo, Chief Akin Oke, Dr. Yunus Akintunde, Oloye Bayo Adelabu,?Sen. AbdulFatai Buhari, Sen. Teslim Folarin, Mr. Sunday Dare, Hon. Dokun Odebunmi, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Sen. Ayo Adeseun, Barr. Adebayo Shittu and Oloye Bayo Adelabu.
Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission, Prof. Adeolu Akande and Postmaster General and CEO of the Nigeira Postal Service, NIPOST, Dr. Ismail Adewusi were said to be absent for official reasons.
Unity had eluded the party since May 2018 following the imposition of chairmanship candidates and party leadership, an action that largely led to the fationalization of the party along Lamists-SENACO lines and eventual defeat at the 2019 governorship poll.
Only two weeks ago, some known Unity Forum members majority of whom are loyalists of late former governor Lamidi Adesina, absented themselves from a meeting called by former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala who had been appointed by late former governor Abiola Ajimobi to lead the reconciliation process.
That was after sports minister, Dare, had hosted leaders of the party to a similar meeting on the eve of Alao-Akala’s meeting.
Most of the participants at the meeting preferred anonymity when asked for details.
It was reliably learnt that, Badaru was said to have told them not to be bothered about dissolution of the Chief Akin Oke led executive of the party as it is imminent.
“We were told to exercise patience as all state executives across the 36 states would be dissolved. Governor Badaru said since the national executive has been dissolved, we will have to go through the ward, local government and state to have a national leadership again. He assured that by January, 2021. This, he said, would give enough time for reconciliation process ahead of the 2022 primary elections. So, we are going to meet next week in Governor Kayode Fayemi’s Ibadan house,” another source said.
Probed further, he explained that “Of course, we have settled everything. We will hold a follow up meeting next week at Gov. Fayemi’s house followed by a press conference at the Party house in Oke Ado. The Excos remain intact for now. Baba Oke and Hon. Mojeed Olaoya were both there to represent them.”
Said another source, “They told us that they don’t have power to dissolve the Excos immediately.”
But another source told the online news medium that “Majority were for dissolution of the state executives. Sen. Lanlehin and others aggrieved members asked for dissolution as the only way for them to return to APC”.
Source: oyoinsight.com
