In this piece, Nigerian Tribune’s Akinwale Aboluwade writes about the intriguing and anxiety of the aftermath of the Oyo state chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
The article touched on the formation, strength and power struggles of the political party backed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
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This, no doubt, is not the best of time for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State. The political party, which had hitherto, reaped massively from the crises that rocked the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) and the leading opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is now enmeshed in its own predicament following the announcement of Senator Olufemi Lanlehin as the party’s governorship candidate.
His choice as the party’s candidate barely a week ago is said to be fraught with fraud, open manipulation and undue favouritism. A published statement signed by the 12 distraught governorship aspirants of the party captioned ‘Illegal nomination of Senator Olufemi Lanlehin as the gubernatorial candidate of the party’, alleged that the former senator was given underserved preference over the other 12 contenders.
The ADC in Oyo State was, until the crisis over its choice of governorship candidate, seen as the party to beat in the state given the facts and circumstances that led to its popularisation in the state. The party, which is conglomeration of different interests and political strongholds, which had as members a former governor in Senator Rashidi Ladoja; three former Secretaries to the State Government in Chief Michael Koleoso, Chief Ayodele Adigun and Chief Layiwola Olakojo; two of the three senators in the state in Senators Monsurat Sunmonu and Soji Akanbi; more than four members of the House of Representatives as well as many members of the House of Assembly in the state.
But what is considered to be the party’s greatest strength was the unity of purpose among the political strongholds led by Senator Ladoja, Koleoso as well as members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Unity Forum, a faction of the ruling party that broke away after its ward, local government and state congresses following irreconcilable differences. This strength, watchers of political developments in the state, had been touted as an election-winning formula, given that each bloc in the ADC commanded a large following across the state.
That strength, analysts have now noted, has become the ADC’s albatross, as key party members kick against what they termed as the shenanigans of its notable leaders including Senator Ladoja, Chief Koleoso and Chief Adebisi Busari following the alleged imposition of Senator Lanlehin on the party by the group of elders.
Indications of trouble had begun to surface when over 10 members of the party picked the nomination form, with analysts wondering how the new party would handle its post-primary crisis. Those indications were to later be confirmed when the party chose the option of a consensus to fill elective posts, citing the fact that it was a new party with no executive structure across the wards and local governments of the state. While all the 13 governorship aspirants agreed to the consensus option and even signed an agreement that anyone that emerged as the consensus candidate would be supported by others. The matter of how to go about the consensus, however, became a thorny issue, with the leaders allegedly unleashing their plan to “foist Lanlehin on the party” in a consensus arrangement which some of the aspirants stated was not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Though Sunday Tribune’s attempt to speak to ask if, indeed, the commission witnessed the consensus arrangement that produced Senator Lanlehin as the ADC governorship candidate did not yield as a text message sent to the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of Oyo State was not replied as of the time of filing this report, some of the governorship aspirants who spoke to Sunday Tribune, including Senator Gbenga Babalola, maintained that INEC was not part of the arrangement.
With the stipulation of article 16 of the INEC Regulation for the Conduct of Political Party Primaries demanded that “the primaries of the political parties must be held in the presence of officials of the Commission who will make a determination that the primaries have been conducted in compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and this regulation,” therefore, political watchers have begun to argue whether or not the ADC is toeing a dangerous path especially following the October 7 deadline set by INEC for the conclusion of party primaries.
Already, the 12 aggrieved governorship aspirants of the party have approached an Abuja High Court to challenge the emergence of Lanlehin as candidate, with some of them who spoke to Sunday Tribune insisting that they would see the case to the end to correct alleged injustice meted to them by the party’s elders.
Wondering what gave Senator Lanlehin an edge over them, the aspirants in a publication in a national daily wrote: “The procedure for emerging as the candidate for the gubernatorial election in our great party is as contained in the party’s Constitution particularly Article 20 (1) and (2) and paragraphs ‘A’ and ‘B’ thereof and paragraph 13 of the African Democratic Congress guideline for party screening and primary elections for the 2019 general elections”.
The aspirants stated that going by the rule, a candidate could emerge through direct primary, indirect primary or consensus by the party. Whereas the National Chairman of the party, Ralph Nwosu, stated in his remarks after the presentation of Lanlehin as the candidate that the ADC, the leaders and members of the party at the state and national levels were united on the choice, the 13 aspirants were unanimous in condemning the decision of some members of the party to handpick Lanlehin and foist him on the others.
One of the aspirants, Mr Ayodele Adigun, described the claim by the Chairman, Screening and Primary Committee of the ADC, Peter Oyewole, that Lanlehin emerged after a keenly contested primary involving 13 aspirants as mischievous and fraudulent adding that a few elements within the party, led by former governor Rashidi Ladoja connived to hijack the party.
He said: “The party has not followed the laid down guideline for the conduct of primaries. They don’t show regard for the party constitution. There are three options; the direct primary, indirect primary and the consensus by the aspirants. In the case that led to the announcement of Lanlehin, only four people sat down in the confines of their sitting room and decided that they want to pick a candidate without carrying the aspirants along. This is wrong; the entire aspirants must be carried along in the consensus process. How can the people who are themselves ordinary members just handpick a candidate without consulting the others? We had gone through written test and oral interview. It is because the result of the test and interview did not favour their aspirant (Lanlehin) that was the reason why they decided not to publish the result of the exercise. Now, we asked them to publish the results. We, the aspirants must know how we performed. Instead, they went ahead to handpick a candidate which is against the constitution and the guideline given by the party.
“The ADC has been hijacked by Rashidi Ladoja. At all levels, apart from those who got automatic ticket for certain positions, Ladoja and his men were handpicking candidates even apart from the governorship so it has affected the whole party. About two months ago, Ladoja came into the party and he is trying to destabilise the party; of course, he has the track-record of destabilising parties. Between 2003 and 2010 he distabilised the Peoples Democratic Party, he went on to be the sole leader of Accord. He distabilsed Accord too. He returned to PDP again to destabilise it but he was kicked out of the place. He came to ADC barely two months ago and started manifesting his disruption tendency.
“ADC in Oyo State is now a shadow of itself; it is no longer a big family, it has been fragmented by Ladoja. Most people are disillusioned; they don’t know the yardstick or criteria used in selecting their representatives. For us in the gubernatorial too, we are aspirants and should be carried along. If you obtained the form and participated in the screening exercise you will know the criteria used to knock you out. If there were no primaries, no direct primaries, what were the parameters used? What are the things that the person that emerged got that all the others don’t have? How can four people just sit down in their sitting room and pontificate over the affair of the entire party? They are ordinary members like all of us too. There is no provision for that in the constitution.”
Another governorship aspirant on the platform of the party, Senator Gbenga Babalola, expressed his grievance with the process that threw up Lanlehin as the ADC governorship candidate, noting that it was nothing short of an illegality and imposition.
Babalola, while speaking with Sunday Tribune on the situation of things in the party, said all he and 11 other governorship aspirants demanded was to be allowed to choose one of the 13 governorship aspirants by themselves.
He said: “The situation now is that we are going to choose one of the 13 governorship aspirants by ourselves for the state. That is the meaning of consensus. It is not that one or two people will sit somewhere and choose someone. The choice of Senator Lanlehin was that of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja and co. There are three ways to choose a candidate at all levels; direct primary, indirect primary and consensus. But because the party is relatively new, the option of consensus was settled for all the positions. But some people are just sitting down somewhere and picking the candidates they want. That is an illegality and it cannot stand.
“If we are doing consensus; the meaning of consensus is that the people concerned should pick one of them. That is consensus. But they held a consensus that INEC was not even there. When they picked the candidate, only four people were there. How can that stand? It will not stand.
When asked if it was true that some ADC members were dumping the party for the Zenith Labour Party, Babalola maintained that he was not aware of that but that none of the 12 aspirants fighting the imposition of a candidate was in that bracket, as they were determined to see the matter to the end to ensure that they put an end to imposition and impunity.
Another aspirant, Dr Yunus Akintunde, who spoke with Sunday Tribune in a telephone interview on Friday, said as indicated by the aspirants in a statement jointly signed by the 12 aspirants there is no candidate yet for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship position.
He said: “Let me confirm straight to you that I am part of those who signed the statement on the illegal nomination of Senator Olufemi Lanlehin as the gubernatorial candidate of the party. I stand by all the issues raised in the statement and I condemn the decision by some people within the party to handpick a candidate without carrying us along.”
Chief Lowo Obisesan, in his comment, described the exercise as a sham, saying, “I is simple, the party can choose any of the aspirants among those that obtained governorship nomination forms for the sum of 6million Naira under ADC platform but it must be done pursuant to the laid down guidelines by the Screening Committee and relevant provisions of the ADC constitution and not by way of imposition from one of the members that are claiming to be the leaders of the party, more so that party constitution does not stipulate that.
“We aspirants are just guiding against the imposition of any aspirant through godfather syndrome that has been driving the development of Oyo State in particular and Nigeria in general into a backward stage. Little wonder, the godfather of one of the aspirants wanted to impose him on every member of the party. Experience from the past will show us that the aftermath of this kind of development will always bring the state into unfortunate situations”.
However, Senator Lanlehin said he was determined to meet and enlist the support and confidence of all aspirants without taking anybody for granted. He said when there is disagreement; the polite step to take was to seek peace and best way forward. He stressed further: “I was given the slot of our party to run as the governorship candidate knowing fully well that I have what it takes to make a difference and make the people of Oyo State much happier and to ensure that they are delivered from shackles of poverty, salary delays, poor infrastructure and all. I have the experience, I have the passion and if elected I will make a great difference.
“I have the belief that all the aspirants of ADC are capable to run for the office. I believe that in view of the fact that I have come a long way and in view of the experience I have garnered on the political terrain has helped my nomination. The lean resources that we have in the state requires that
“The issue that arose as a result of the nomination of governorship candidate of the party is being addressed and will be addressed in a way that will satisfy all those that are concerned. I know that we all agreed on charge of government and to that extent, we are all on the same page. I want to assure you that the ADC is a family, ADC is united and the party will treat the matter as a family affair”.
“We make a resolution that will be in the interest of the people of Oyo State, that will be in the interest of our party and will be to the glory of God. Men of goodwill in Oyo State and respected figures whose identity I will not want to disclose are looking into the matter,” he said.
Asked if he foresees a situation where the matter could degenerate, he said “I don’t envisage such. At the end of the day we would solve our problems.”
But reports from the camps of the aggrieved aspirants noted that some of them might be behind the surfacing of the Zenith Labour Party in Oyo State, with the party’s jingles already gaining ground on the airwaves.
Will the ADC put its house before the closure of the period for the substitution of names? Will frayed nerves be calmed in time for the party not to lose the grounds it gained in the last few months or will the song be: …the falcons cannot hear the falconers. Things fall apart and the centre cannot hold?
