Chairman of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, on Wednesday, advised leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, especially the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to join hands to rebuild the state chapter of the party.
He also asked members to eschew forthwith, any action or utterance capable of further fuelling the crisis in the party in the interest of the ordinary members and core progressives.
Ibikunle, one of the founders of APC in Oyo State, said the growing promotion of hate, lies, character assassination and other destructive tendencies by those who had benefited through the party was wrong, wicked and a deliberate attempt to deprive the young ones in the progressive fold the opportunities of realising their political goals.
Fielding questions from journalists in Ibadan, on Wednesday, Ibikunle maintained that he had never at any time left the APC, contrary to insinuations in a paid advertisement sponsored by some politicians that served in the last administration.
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The Ibarapa-born politician also said he had never joined or worked for any other party than the political party of the late Alhaji Lam Adesina and Senator Bola Tinubu since the beginning of the present democracy.
He described as “most wicked and evil,” allegation that he collected money from Senator Soji Akanbi to step down for him in the last election while challenging anybody with any evidence of such to bring it out.
“In all my political life, I have maintained a very decent and clean posture and that is why all the leaders I had worked withhold me in very high esteem.
“Without being immodest, I can say categorically that the immediate past governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, benefitted immensely from my hard-earned reputation and integrity in securing our party’s tickets and winning his two gubernatorial elections,” he said.
He advised the leaders to concentrate on how to achieve genuine reconciliation, pacification of the aggrieved ones and expression of genuine apologies to those who were held down when the party held sway.
The politician commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the national leadership of the party for setting up the national reconciliation committee headed by Chief Bisi Akande and expressed confidence in the capacity of the committee to achieve genuine reconciliation of the party across the country.