Ondo APC crisis: Kekemeke remains our chairman ―Aggrieved leaders

THE crisis within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday, took another dimension, as some leaders of the party in the state, called for immediate removal of the Acting Chairman of the party, Hon Ade Adetimehin.

The leaders which included some members of the state executive of the party maintained that the embattled Chairman of the party, Hon Isaacs Kekemeke, remained the party Chairman.

In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, and signed by the stakeholders including the embattled Chairman, Kekemeke, rejected the appointment of Adetimehin as the Acting Chairman of the party in the state.

The group noted that there was no official correspondence from the National Secretariat of the party to confirm Adetimehin as the Acting Chairman, saying the letter being circulated on the page of social media does not emanate from the National Secretariat.

The party leaders maintained in the letter that Kekemeke was the only elected official of the party during the state congress held in 2014 while other state officers were picked through consensus.

The letter said “that during the State Congress of our Party in 2014, the State Chairman, Hon D.I. Kekemeke was the only officer elected. All other state officers were arrived at by consensus.

However while reacting, the Acting Chairman, Adetimehin, said the letter confirming his appointment emanated from the National Secretariat of the party, saying “we have no cause to forge a letter.

“They have the freedom to visit the Secretariat to cross check if it is fake or genuine but I am telling you, we are too big to forge an appointment letter.”

But the embattled chairman group maintained that “all the steps leading to the unlawful takeover of the Party Secretariat by a section of Party officers with the connivance of the “powers that be” are contrary to the spirit and letter of the Party’s Constitution. The required authority and quorum for convening meetings and removing officers of the Party were not met.”

“That the matter of the unlawful takeover of the Party Secretariat by a section of the Party is a subject of a formal complaint to the Southwest Zonal Executive which has set up a committee to look into same.”

The APC members, however, said the constitution of the party does not empower the National Chairman to unilaterally remove it appointment a chairman.

“That nowhere in the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress 2014 as amended is the National Chairman of our Party empowered to unilaterally remove or appoint an officer for the Party in the State.

The power of the NWC is limited to the dissolution of an organ and the Constitution of a caretaker-committee.

“That with due respect to your person and office, we unequivocally reject your unilateral albeit, an unlawful and illegal appointment of Mr Ade Adetimehin as acting Chairman of our Party in Ondo State just as we express our unflinching support for and confidence in Hon D.I. Kekemeke as the Chairman of our Party in the State.”

They, however, appeal for the immediate removal of Adetimehin in order not plunge the party into unimaginable crisis in the state, while they promised to remain committed to the party.