Unending muscle flexing in Oyo APC

Twice from the initial date of October 16, the state congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has been shifted. In this piece, WALE AKINSELURE, looks at issues behind the shifts and the attendant presumptions.

Across various states of the country, the recently held ward, local government and state congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were characterised by violence, confusion and factions holding parallel congresses. Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Niger, Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Abia, Akwa Ibom and Imo topped states where various party leaders held parallel congresses to stake their control of party structure in their various states. This scenario played out notwithstanding warnings by the Mala Mai Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) that processes or activities carried out without its approval amounted to futility. States that had a smooth congress were where the various party leaders were able to reach a consensus on those to hold executive committee positions at ward, local government and state levels. The battle among party leaders across states particularly was fiercer for the state congress approached where holders of state executive committee members emerge.

While some states went ahead with the congress, despite the in-fighting, the national secretariat of the party halted the processes in states like Oyo, Bauchi and Taraba for fear that violence may erupt should the process go ahead. In Oyo, delegates had, on October 16 converged, on the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty road, Ibadan, for the state congress only for news to filter in that the national secretariat had ordered the suspension of the congress for the state. Disbelief, doubt and confusion initially greeted the news of a postponement not until a state official announced to delegates gathered at the stadium that the postponement was confirmed true.

Though despondency was written over the face of some delegates came from across the 33 local government areas for the congress, they also remained positive that it was to bid time to get it right than go ahead and have to contend with violence, problems, accusations and counter-accusations afterwards. The national secretariat, in asking the Lawan Gambo Oyo APC State Congress Committee to halt the process and return to Abuja, followed a report that documents meant to conduct the exercise, to include list of delegates, had been forged and hijacked. APC national secretary, John Akpanudoedehe, said the suspension became necessary to ensure credibility in the process leading to the emergence of new members of the state executive committee of Oyo.

Even before the state congress, mistrust, allegations of manipulation of results had trailed the ward and local government congresses. After the July 31 ward congress, a group within the Oyo APC, named Progressive Democratic Front, had alleged plan by some forces within and outside the state to replace the names of elected party officials in most of the 351 wards across the state. The group, through its state coordinator, Michael Adeagbo particularly cautioned those jostling to get the governorship ticket of the party for the 2023 election to desist from masterminding the tampering of result and whittle down their plan to hijack the structure of the party in favour of their ambitions. The group expressed lack of confidence in the Gambo Lawan-led committee alleging that it may have been compromised by a click of undemocratic forces. Responding to the allegation, Lawan avowed that his committee did not tamper with the list, saying it only compiled the names sent to it from wards, with party leaders involved across board. Gambo questioned whether those behind the allegation had checked the list submitted only to the national secretariat of the party to arrive at the allegation that the document had been tampered. He also said the committee had no official report of parallel congress in the state.

Smarting from reports of uneasy calm, parallel congresses that trailed the ward congress, issue of mistrust rocked the local government congress committee headed by Hilary Amodu. Some members of the committee had alleged that the committee chairman absconded to Abuja with the results without their approval. Some of the committee members had alleged foul play arguing that the committee chairman bluntly refused to drop the already submitted results for 29 local government areas when he was asked to. It later emerged that two persons claimed to be secretary of the committee approved by the national secretary.

On allegation of absconding with the result, Amodu had said he left Ibadan for Abuja owing to his sighting strange movements around his hotel, as well as the hint that some persons were hell-bent on tampering with the results. Amodu, however, said he had results for 32 local government areas and that he is to meet with his secretary and members to fine tune the result especially in local government areas where more than one result was submitted. Amodu also absolved himself of doing the bidding of certain gladiators of the party, adding that fairness of his committee will be evident when the national secretariat releases the result of the local government congress. Amid the controversies over whether the ward and local government results will be fair to all interests, party stakeholders, governorship aspirants to include Niyi Akintola, Sunday Dare, Akeem Agbaje, Teslim Folarin, Joseph Tegbe, Fola Akinosun described the congress processes as fair, democratic, peaceful, transparent and all-inclusive. They described parallel congresses held in some local government areas as the evidence of the party giving members the opportunity to ventilate their democratic right but noted that all interests were bound to be harmonised. Public Relations Officer, Oyo APC, Dr Azeez Olatunde said the congresses afforded every interest in the party opportunity to ventilate their democratic right, but noted that APC was poised to harmonise all interests in the interest of united party for the 2023 general election.

Though the ward and local government congresses were devoid of usual violence, party members remained curious that the national secretariat had not released the congress results. Expectations were high, however, that the results will be released before the October 16 state congress. Evidence that the professed calm in the party was uneasy showed as the congress approached as reaching a consensus on the various state executive committee positions became an issue.

Ahead of the congress, the decision of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala-led Elders Advisory Council of the Oyo APC to announce a committee to zone the party offices served as the trigger for various interests to rear their heads. Immediately the Honourable Musiliu Akinremi led zoning committee was announced, various groups of party members objected, saying the committee was not all-inclusive but lopsided to favour particular interests. Vocal in their objection was the Unity Forum in the party which alleged a plot by “a minority group within the APC to impose itself on the majority of members of the party.” Among those members of the forum who kicked were Senator Ayo Adeseun, Senator Femi Lanlehin, Senator Soji Akanbi, Otunba Alake Adeyemo, Chief Abu Gbadamosi, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Professor Adeolu Akande, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Chief Goke Oyetunji. Similarly, more APC groups of members like the Bayo Adelabu, Joseph Tegbe groups, Zenith Labour party rejected the setting up of a zoning committee for the forthcoming state congress of the party by the Alao-Akala led advisory council. Others who objected to the committee were Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Honourable Olagunju Ojo, Chief Sharafadeen Alli, Dr Joseph Tegbe,  Dr Ismail Adewusi and Mr Abass Aleshinloye. The zoning committee brouhaha showed that there were still divisions in the party despite earlier claims that all groups had merged into one Oyo APC. Questions were also raised over whether the former governor Alao-Akala can lay claim to be leader the party.

Amid the reservations, the decision of the Alao-Akala council to zone the chairmanship position to Oke-Ogun 1, among others, was later allowed to fly, with the state congress knocking. Up until the October 16 date of the aborted congress, the push to have a consensus chairmanship candidate failed with the chairmanship hopefuls to include Abu Gbadamosi, Dele Akinleye and Isaac Omodewu sticking to their guns that delegates decide at the congress venue. And on day of the aborted congress, issues of manipulation of delegates’ list, failure to have a consensus candidate for chairman and non-harmonisation of the list of excos remained to be addressed.

When postponement of the congress was announced, some disgusted party members, in various conversations at the congress venue, bemoaned that the party could not hold its congress owing to selfish interests of some gladiators in the party and their non-willingness to let go in the interest of the party. The congress had initially been postponed for one week only for it to be postponed again to November 6, after some members of the party had met the Mai Mala Buni leadership of the party that plans had been activated to hijack affairs of the party. Bemoaning the initial postponement, Caretaker chairman, Oyo APC, urged party members to be wary of the antics of some saboteurs and desperate politicians who are circulating a fake delegate list. This is as he further cautioned members against toeing the line of anti-democratic forces are were hell bent on foisting crisis upon the party.

Political watchers observe that another crisis like in 2019 might snowball in the Oyo APC should various interests continue to be unwilling to sacrifice their personal ambition in interest of the party. A member of the party at the national level revealed that the several forces, caucuses and blocs continue to storm Abuja to use their influence to manipulate the delegates list to their favour.

He noted that the pressure is real because various members of the Oyo APC hold offices at the federal level or still command influence at the federal level, even while out of office. Meanwhile, party stalwarts noted that the logjam in successfully holding the state congress in Oyo state was due to the failure of the national secretariat to officially release the result of the ward and local government congresses which will produce the delegates for the state congress. They noted that members are pressing for official release to know the extent of alleged manipulation or otherwise and reduce the tendency for propagation of face results. The party members particularly pray that the delegates’ list is released before the congress so that evolving issues can be resolved.

Though harmonisation was done for the ward and local government congress, the fear is that result may have been manipulated. They warn that failure to resolve issues with the delegates’ list will lead to accusation and counter-accusations as well as people leaving the party should they feel they have been severely outsmarted. Though the chairmanship aspirants are keen on going to congress for delegates to vote and decide, top shots in the party are still hopeful that a consensus candidate is arrived at before November 6. It was, however, discovered that two of the aspirants are insisting on not stepping down except the battle is taken to the field. The two weeks grace for the Oyo APC to resolve issues of harmonisation of list of state excos, prevent a parallel congress, ensure a level-playing field, avert bloodshed from those said to be hell-bent on hijacking the affairs of the party will soon lapse.

Whether the national secretariat of the party will release the results of the ward and local government congresses, to serve as delegates’ list, before the state congress, also waits to be seen. Whether the results of the ward, local government and state excos are not manipulated also waits to be seen. Meanwhile, there are those who believe they have been core members of the party, and for several years, should dictate affairs of the party rather than allowing new entrants hijack the affairs of the party.

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