Former deputy national chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Segun Oni, has declared that the Ekiti State chapter of the party lacks an understanding of the meaning and concept of democracy.
This was as he restated that his decision to leave the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was informed by the alleged disdain, ignominy and disrespect which he said the leadership of the party in the state meted on him.
The allegations were contained in a resolution of his political group, AtunseEkiti Movement, at the end of its recent meeting, held at Ifaki-Ekiti, accusing the Ekiti State APC leadership of not following due process in establishing the party executives in the state.
The meeting was called at the insistence of the former Ekiti State governor for an appraisal of his continued membership of the APC and the future of members of his group in the party.
The group, in the resolution signed by its director-general, Dr Ife Arowosoge, and made available on Tuesday, alleged that Ekiti APC did not conduct congresses or used consensus in composing ward, local government and state executive councils of the party.
ALSO READ: Weeks after burying dad, kidnappers abduct daughters of Ibadan school proprietor
It also accused the state leadership of APC of merely handpicking members of Fayemi Tokantokan, a group loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi, to fill all the executive positions from wards, local government and to state levels.
The group also alleged that appointments from the party to government positions at all levels were limited only to the family members and known friends of Governor Fayemi and his aides.
“To worsen the situation, more than 15 people close to the governor, including his family members, are holding two positions, one at the federal level and another one at the state level, in contravention of the constitution of the country and known practices underpinned by morality and equity.
“Up till now, no member of AtunseEkiti Movement has ever been considered for any position, whether elective or appointive, either at the federal, state or local government level.
“Dr Kayode Fayemi and his group in Ekiti introduced a novelty of selecting people to elective offices in Ekiti that is not known to democracy anywhere in the world, not even in the Banana Republics.
“No nomination forms were released, or advanced payment for forms refunded to any known supporters of Segun Oni, even when they showed bank tellers as evidence of payments.
“Such forms were only given to Fayemi TokanTokan members who received text messages from the governor and/or his deputy. That is the level of hatred demonstrated against Chief Segun Oni and his supporters.
“Many members of AtunseEkiti Movement are being threatened with expulsion and suspension and, in fact, some had been suspended and expelled from their wards by the Fayemi-handpicked executives for the reason of being known supporters of Segun Oni,” the group said.
Arowosoge said a petition on the alleged selfish and undemocratic selection of members of the executives from ward to state levels was written and sent to the APC national chairman but there was neither a response nor were any steps taken to rectify the anomalies.
He said the group took a critical look at the political situation in the state and advised Oni to pull out of the APC to avoid further embarrassing and inhuman treatment to him and members of his political group.
“It is painful that the party he [Oni] helped build from the foundation and when it was crumbling, brought together the various warring factions to reconcile when he was deputy national chairman, South of the APC, could be treating him with such disdain, disrespect and ignominy.
“For all the above reasons and many more, AtunseEkiti Movement could not see any future for its members in APC because of the deep-rooted impunity and flagrant display of hatred for Segun Oni’s supporters and absolute disregard for party’s constitution and guidelines being exhibited by the parochially crude and clannishly obnoxious leadership of the party in Ekiti State.
“The AtunseEkiti Movement, therefore, advised its leader, Chief Segun Oni, whom its members have been following because of his honesty, integrity, incorruptibility and records of performance anywhere he serves, to lead them out of APC and to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” he stated.
It, however, noted that the group would set up a committee to work out the modalities for the formal defection of Segun Oni and members of his political group from the APC into the PDP.