Bent on removing the present executives of the All Progressives Congress, APC, ‘in order to pave way for his lackeys to take charge’, Governor Abiola Ajimobi may have it rough with the Chief Akin Oke led Executives.
At the state executive council meeting held last week Monday, Ajimobi was quoted to have told cabinet members that his next move is to get the present executive committee of the party in the state, from ward to local government levels, disbanded.
The governor’s executive assistant on political matters, Dr. Morounkola Thomas, was said to have corroborated his boss, saying that the dissolution ‘is long overdue’.
This, according to sources, is to ‘prepare grounds’ for the emergence of his loyalists as candidates in the forthcoming 2019 elections.
Sources confided in insideoyo.com that the plan cannot be unconnected to the stance of the party that internal democracy must prevail at all times.
It was learnt that apart from the scenario that led to the loss of many loyalists of Ajimobi in the 2015 primaries, majority of the APC members had voted against plan by the governor to ‘handpick’ candidates for the botched APC chairmanship primaries angered the governor.
The party, it was gathered, had told the governor that it would be politically suicidal to handpick candidates for election while hundreds of people had spent huge sum for electioneering purposes, including payment of nomination form.
Insideoyo.com was told how pressure is being mounted on the governor by members of Sen. Abiola Ajimobi Campaign Organisation, SENACO, his campaign platform during his days as a member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.
They had told the governor that the structure need to be hijacked in order for his loyalists to have their way in the build up to the forthcoming 2019 elections.
In 2015, most of the loyalists of the governor were said to have been defeated in the APC primaries. “That made him appoint many of his loyalists as cabinet members and caretaker chairmen. In fact, those who worked against our party now hold sway as appointees.
“This made his loyalists to tell him not to even care whether the national leadership is in support of it or not because he as the leader of the party has the power to push through his wish, not minding who is in support or not,” said the sources.
Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the accusation against the party executives was that they had the guts to complain about the displeasing state of affairs of the party.
It was learnt that the party is underfunded. Unconfirmed report has it that executives of the party are being owed. “He recently gave us a quit notice; to look for another office as party secretariat as he plans to use his house for a bakery project,” continued the source.
But party stakeholders are said to be planning for the worst. “We are not new to this. We will not allow injustice in our party. The executives of the party from ward to state levels are product of the party’s constitution and nobody can unilaterally sack them. For the avoidance of doubt, the tenure of the party’s executives ends on April, 2018. Nobody can change them before this time.
“He is even joking. Maybe he is talking about the APC of the past. He should learn from recent events in the party. The era of imposition of highhandedness is over. Everything must follow laid down rules. If they are finding it is hard removing Dr. Muiz Banire as legal adviser in Lagos, what can an ordinary person do.
“We wish to urge Governor Ajimobi not to listen to agents of destabilisation who are ready to do damage to the unity and cohesion of the party ahead of the next elections. Dissolving the executives at this time will amount to an unpopular coup against democracy. It is not going to work,” they said.
The party leaders added that it was clear those who are pushing for the disbandment of the executives were the same people who opposed the use of statutory delegates for the conduct of the party’s primaries for council election.
“APC has become a rooted party in the state. It will be injurious for anyone, no matter how highly placed to contemplate an undemocratic decision like the dissolution of the party officers of APC in Oyo State. Such attempt will be vigorously resisted,” the leaders warned.
