Oyo APC crisis deepens, as Omodewu dismisses position of aggrieved chieftains

THE crisis rocking the Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) took another twist, on Monday, as its embattled chairman, Mr Isaac Omodewu, inaugurated the state and local government executive committee of the party despite his non recognition by aggrieved chieftains of the party. 

At the inauguration held at the state secretariat of the party, in Ibadan, Omodewu said he had the strategy to divide the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 elections in the state. 

He said: “When I said I would divide the PDP ahead of 2023 elections in Oyo State, I mean it. This is politics and we understand it better. I won’t disclose the strategy to divide PDP but I can assure you that they can never remain united.” 

Featuring on an Ibadan radio station, after inaugurating the state and local government excos, Omodewu said contrary to the position of the aggrieved members of his party, he had the support of majority of members. He, however, avowed that present internal squabbles in the party would soon be resolved. 

Omodewu said: “Oyo APC is a big family. I have been meeting with the chieftains of the party. 

“What is going on is purely politics. I have been to the homes of some of the chieftains. There is no personal grudge among us. 

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“Like I told the newly inaugurated exco this morning, what should be of utmost interest to us is how to wrest power from PDP. 

“Consultation is still ongoing. I have told exco members at the state and local government levels to ensure that all grievances is resolved. My message to our members is, let there be peace.” 

However, hours after the inauguration by Omodewu, ‘outgoing’ caretaker chairman of the Oyo APC, Chief Akin Oke released a list of ‘harmonised’ state and local government excos of the party. 

According to Oke, in a statement, on Monday, the harmonised list of State Executive Committee members was what was endorsed and submitted by zonal leaders at the residence of the former state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala. 

He explained that the decision to release the list was to silence “unfounded rumours and misrepresentation of facts making the rounds over the management of the lists generated by various stakeholders at Ward and Local Government levels.” 

In addition, Oke held that the names were generated from the consensus arrangement carried out in all the local government areas and in conformity with the directives on consensus option as the basis for nomination of executive council members. 

He maintained that the lists received from the stakeholders were submitted to various congress committees that came to the state and that it was then established that no other list was submitted by any other person or group. 

To resolve the impasse over the party excos in the state, Oke urged the national leadership of the party to consider treating the Oyo APC issue the same way as those of Kano and Sokoto states, where more time have been devoted to resolving the lingering intra-party crisis. This, he noted, is crucial for true and genuine reconciliation to take place. 

Oke said: “We maintain that all we submitted to various Congress committees that came to the state were the lists received from relevant stakeholders at that time and the fact was established that no other list was submitted by any other person or group. Also, a Professor of Comparative Politics and APC gubernatorial aspirant in the All Progressives Congress in the state, Professor Adeolu Akande declared that the inauguration of Omodewu as chairman of the party in the state will not stand. Akande, in a statement, urged APC supporters to remain calm while the matter is being resolved. 

“This development is a temporary distraction. It will pass. We are students of history and no attempt to impose the minority over the majority has ever worked or been sustained.”