DESPITE the renewed threats of severe sanction by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), aggrieved members of the party, on Monday, remained adamant in their rejection of the conduct of last Saturday’s ward congress across the country.
Some are threatening total showdown just as others have declared their intention to petition the Appeal Committee of the party on the conduct and outcome of the congress.
The development is coming against the backdrop of mixed fortunes for some major stakeholders in the governing party based on the results of the congress.
The outcome of the congress seems to have altered the political calculations and projects of some political gladiators in a couple of states, including Ebonyi state.
While some succeeded in maintaining their hold on the structures of the party in their constituencies, a few others suffered serious setbacks in the hands of new power brokers with implications for those scheming for elective offices in 2023 elections.
In Ebonyi State, the supporters of Governor Dave Umahi ensured that he took charge of the structure of the APC to the chagrin of the camps loyal to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and other APC stalwarts in the state.
Four factions emerge in Lagos, three results submitted
Four major tendencies have emerged from the contentious ward congress of the Lagos State chapter of the ruling party.
Three of the four blocs are also pushing their lists of elected ward executive as the authentic list for the state chapter as crisis over the congress festers.
Apart from the mainstream group loyal to a former governor of the state, Senator Bola Tinubu, another major faction of the party is loyal to his erstwhile associate, Mr. Fouad Oki.
Oki’s group is known as APC Democrats, with the ruling party chieftain as the state chairman.
The group conducted a parallel elective congress, rejecting the consensus option, pushed forward by the Tinubu’s faction, led by Hon. Tunde Balogun.
Another major bloc within the party, which also conducted a parallel congress, is known as Lagos4Lagos, under the leadership of Mr. Olajide Adediran.
The fourth group is known as the Conscience, led by Moshood Salvador, a former state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, who decamped to the ruling party, months back.
His group also submitted a parallel result and exco list.
Balogun, who is the caretaker chairman of the state chapter, is insisting that there was no parallel congress in the state, saying all tendencies were carried along in arriving at the consensus agreement.
Spokesperson of the party in the state, Hon. SeyeOladejo told Nigerian Tribune that he would revert when asked about the outcome.
In a petition made available to Nigerian Tribune on Monday, Oki, writing on behalf of other aggrieved groups, now morphed as APC Collectives, claimed that, “there was no accreditation whatsoever in any of the 245 Wards across Lagos State as there was no membership register provided for the congress.”
Alleging compromise on the part of the ward congress committee sent from Abuja and headed by Dr. Mohammed Bashir Ruwangodiya, he further said, “Notwithstanding, our members trooped out in various wards and conducted the congress.
“It is surprising therefore that you went ahead to accept, a prepared list from Alhaji Tunde Balogun as the result of congress which you did not conduct.
In an interview, he also disclosed that his group will seek judicial intervention if the appeal panel being expected in the state, would not do justice in the matter.
He, like Adediran, said the threat of the national headquarters on parallel congress, would not deter him, from seeking justice.
A fuming Salvador told Nigerian Tribune, “Well, it is a caretaker committee they appointed to handle the All Progressives Congress in Lagos state. APC is now a national party. It is different from the AD and ACN that were just Lagos State party. Today, it is the national (Abuja), that controls the APC.
“We all have our stakes. They asked them to call stakeholders’ meeting but I was excluded. They didn’t even call me. They have the effrontery calling some dead wood in the guise of the Governor’s Advisory Council, GAC to decide for me.
“I was a state chairman of a political party in Lagos State. The national has agreed that we should go for congress and we have now submitted our results to them, so, let’s wait and see what they will do. You don’t need to be in a hurry, let them do the local government congress then we will know what next.”
For the Lagos4Lagos factional leader, Adediran, the ward congress result had been submitted to the national as the group awaited the next line of action.
Buni cautions aggrieved APC members
However, amid the protest and disaffection trailing ward congress, the interim leadership of the party urged aggrieved chieftains to seek redress through constituted channels.
Yobe State governor and chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni gave the admonition in a statement on Monday.
Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that parallel congresses were conducted in certain states while in some states chapters, chieftains dismissed the adoption of consensus as an imposition as they alleged that they were excluded from the exercise.
Governor Buni, in the statement signed by his Director General, Press and Media Affairs, Mamman Mohammed, assured that the party was not ignorant of the disaffection trailing conduct of congress, assuring that the anomalies would be corrected in the forthcoming local and states congresses.
He said:”I want to assure our members that their choice of leaders at the ward Congress and indeed, subsequent congresses will be respected. The party has put some measures in place to check and rectify anomalies arising from the Congress.
“We are committed to building a strong internal democracy to give the party a strong leadership that are genuinely elected by the people.”
Buni urged the aggrieved parties to seek redress through constituted channels in the party, stressing: “We will be fair, just and transparent in handling every complaint for justice to be done and the people’s choice respected.”
Aggrieved stakeholders reject congress outcome in A’Ibom
Elders and other critical stakeholders in the APC in Akwa Ibom restated their rejection of the conduct of the congress in the state, alleging that the National Caretaker Secretary, Senator John Udoedehe, deliberately manipulated the process in favour of his loyalists.
A former military administrator of Rivers and Ogun states and member, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the APC at the national level, Sam Ewang, rejected the outcome, alleging only Udoedehe’s loyalists made the list of candidates.
Besides, another APC chieftain and former state publicity secretary, Chief ItaAwak, rejected the results, saying “congress did not hold in Mbo Local Government Area, where I come from”, adding that the outcome was the personal resolution of Udoedehe and the state care-taker Chairman, Dr. ItaUdosen.
But Udosen and other loyalists of Udoedehe, including a former Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Mr. Udom Ekpoudom, declared the outcome as “free, fair and credible” and urged the people to disregard the dissenting voices.
They, therefore, appealed to the aggrieved parties to “take your grievances to the appeal panel for redress instead of overheating the polity.”
Amaechi, Magnus Abe battle for Rivers APC
Though the result of the APC congresses in Rivers State appeared to favour the camp of the faction loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi there are smouldering issues because of the boycott of the exercise by the group loyal to Senator Magnus Abe.
The Abe faction alleged marginalisation by the organising committee of the congress in the state, accusing it of adopting various underhand strategies to deny members of the faction forms to enable them contest for positions at the congresses.
They threatened a repeat of the 2018 episode that culminated in the Rivers APC not participating in the 2019 general election.
Congress deepens Sokoto APC crisis
The conduct of the congress has further divided the APC in Sokoto State, though the acting chairman of the party in the state, Honourable Isa Sadiq Achida, said all stakeholders of the party were invited for the exercise before the party reached consensus.
A member of the Federal House of Representatives, Honourable Balarabe Salame, described the statement as a blatant lie.
Salame, also former speaker of the state House of Assembly and former acting governor of the state said the acting chairman only contacted those he wanted to contact.
The lawmaker, who represents Illela/Gwadabawa federal constituency, said the chairman was only working to promote the candidacy of the gubernatorial candidate of the party in the last election.
Meanwhile, the party under the leadership of Senator Aliyu Wamakko, agreed on consensus candidate during the last Ward Congress.
Education minister tightens grip on Bauchi APC structure
Following the outcome of the congress in Bauchi, the leadership of Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu consolidated his hold on the structure of the APC in Bauchi State, as most of those who emerged as leaders are his loyalists.
The publicity secretary of the APC in the state, AdamuJalla Gamawa said Malam Adamu Adamu remained the leader of the party in the state.
Also speaking on the same issue, Muhammad Aminu Tukur declared: “By the guidelines of the APC, he is the leader of the party in the state. The Yakubu Dogara led camp where I belong is not in any way challenging that stance. All we are craving for, is fairness, equity and justice. We are focused on the survival of the party in the state, nothing less.”
Elegbeleye, Aregbesola’s loyalists differ over Osun congress
The Chairman Of Ward Congress Committee of the APC in Osun State and the former Director General Of National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye on Monday said due process was followed to select the new ward executive members in the state.
Speaking at a press conference held at the party Secretariat in Osogbo, he explained that those considered for the positions were the participants who followed the laid-down rules and regulations of the party in the selective process.
Elegbeleye pointed out that, they were those who obtained and filled the nomination forms and went though expected screening exercise that qualified them to be worthy of the positions.
However, in a statement issued last night, the loyalists of the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, under the aegis of The Osun Progressives (TOP), rejected the claim by the chairman of the ward congress committee from the All Progressives Congress (APC) national security, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye that due process was followed in the conduct of ward congress in Osun.
It described the exercise as a charade, stressing: “It is sad that the representatives of the highly referred and reputable National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning committee of the APC will descend so low to tell a bare faced lie in order to cover the illegality they called ward congress.”
No complaint received about Oyo congress —Committee chairman
Chairman, APC Ward Congress Committee, Oyo State, Alhaji Gambo Lawan, declared the congress held in the state as conclusive, successful, satisfactory, credible, fair, with results endorsed by every stakeholder of the party.
Lawan, who made this declaration while addressing journalists at the state office of the Oyo APC, on Monday, added that all results from the 351 wards across the state had come in for onward transmission to the national secretariat of the party.
Addressing reports of parallel congress held in some parts of the state, Lawan said neither the committee nor the party Caretaker Chairman, Chief Akin Oke had received any petition or complaint from anyone.
He stressed though the APC requested party members to embrace consensus option, Lawan said congresses were still held physically, with all stakeholders participating, to affirm those who emerged as ward executives as well as delegates to the local government and state congresses.
Lawan absolved the committee of supporting any party gladiator, noting that party stakeholders collectively selected three nominees per ward for those wards were primaries were held.
While stating that politics was “give and take”, he praised party stakeholders for ensuring that the congresses went peacefully and keying into the party’s crave for a united Oyo APC.
Also speaking, Caretaker Chairman, Oyo APC, Chief Akin Oke praised the ward congress committee for helping to persuade and reconcile all party stakeholders to ensure a crisis-free congress.
While appreciating all stakeholders for remaining peaceful throughout the congress, he enjoined members who may have some grievances to follow through the party’s machinery for reconciliation.
Oke promised that the party will still hold a stakeholders meeting after submission of the ward congress report with a view to ensuring that the forthcoming local government and state congresses are devoid of crisis.
Meanwhile, former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala has described as untrue reports that parallel ward congress held in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of the state.
Alao-Akala said he spoke with Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare who stated that “he is not party to the dirty antics of the man that claimed he held parallel primaries in Ogbomoso North”.
The former governor said he, the Minister, and others in Ogbomoso zone of the party had no crisis whatsoever and they had collectively fashioned out ways of ensuring a hitch-free ward congress.
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