•Delegates’ list falsified, says state chairman
The state congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, earlier scheduled for Saturday, October 30, may not hold as the caretaker chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke, has summoned a stakeholders’ meeting to address how to manage the growing tension in the party.
In a statement late on Friday, Chief Oke fumed that the list of delegates for the congress handed over to him by the congress committee chairman, Alhaji Gambo Lawan, had been doctored.
He said the list did not reflect the outcome of the ward and local government congresses earlier held in the state.
The state congress had been called off twice because of a crisis over the list of delegates to adopt for the congress out of the separate lists with the national leadership of the party.
“It is with sadness and heavy heart that I report that the result is totally different from the result handed over to the ward congress and local government committees.
“I wish to note that ahead of the ward and local government congresses, the stakeholders in the party resolved to adopt a consensus method to generate the ward and local government executives.
“To actualise this, leaders of all tendencies in the party met in their respective wards and local governments to agree on consensus lists. The lists so agreed upon were transmitted through the party congress committees in the respective constituencies to the party at the state level.
“The officials of the party and members of the congress committees from Abuja jointly collated the results from the wards and local governments.
“It is important to note that Alhaji Lawan Gambo, after the ward congress, addressed the press and asserted that there was no parallel congress in Oyo State.
“The chairman of the local government congress, Mr Hilary Adamu, also addressed the press after the local government congress and noted that there was no parallel congress in the 33 local government areas of the state.
“The assertions by the two chairmen confirmed the success of the harmonisation efforts that produced the consensus lists.
“It, therefore, remains questionable where and how the results handed over to me by Alhaji Gambo today was generated.
“I have been bombarded by critical stakeholders and members of the party across the state over the authenticity of the result. I have communicated the reaction of party members to the leadership of the APC in Abuja.
“I am also under immense pressure by members of the party over the fate of the party congress scheduled for tomorrow.
“To this end, I have no option but to call for an urgent meeting of stakeholders of the party for 9 am tomorrow, Saturday, 30th October 2021 at the state Secretariat to determine what to do to manage the tension in the party and avert the orgy of bloodshed being threatened by most members of the party across the state,” he said.
The state chairman said he and other stakeholders would do “everything lawfully possible to resist the evil attempt by some unscrupulous elements to throw our dear party into unnecessary crisis.
“I use this medium to appeal to leaders and members of our great party to remain calm and let us work together to manage the tense situation in the state.
“It is my conviction that the party shall get over the present challenge more united and stronger,” he added.
