Oyo APC Protest: Why We Struck

While addressing the press on Monday, February12th, 2018 my colleague and spokesperson for our group Alhaji (Hon) Kayode Obisesan, former Chairman of Egbeda Local Government was clear and unambiguous on the motive of the peaceful rally held at the state party secretariat, Oke Ado, Ibadan.

It is simple: we bought nomination forms from the party fourteen months ago. At the time we bought the form, the party promised to conduct free, fair and democratic party primaries within seven days. We have waited for so long and the leader of the party, Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his political mouth piece, Dr Morohunkola Thomas  has been using every available opportunities to tell the world that he is going to impose candidates. There has not been any official information from the party. At the time we protested, it was less than three days to the date all parties were  expected to submit the list of their candidates to the electoral body, OYSIEC. All other parties held their party primaries over a year ago and all their candidates have been nominated.

With this explanation, do we need a Wasiu Olatunbosun or Fatai Ibikunle before we  fight for ourselves? Are we so dumb and daft that we will allow  the party to collect our money and impose less qualified aspirants  on us just like that? Will there be peace where the minority are forced to rule on the powerful majority? Should we remain silent while our party robs us of our hard earned money?

For the avoidance of doubt, yesterday’s action was planned and executed by OYO APC RESCUE TEAM. We put this body together immediately the election was postponed last year. The group cut across all the local governments in the state and members are drawn mostly among local government election aspirants. We meet monthly and interact daily via social media. Our mission is simple: ENTRENCH INTERNAL DEMOCRACY IN APC  from wards to the state. Yesterday’s action is the second among seven steps we intend to take to drive our points home. The other steps will  either abate or unfold as situation demands.

Although Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle and Alhaji Wasiu Olatunbosun are well respected by this group, but contrary to the insinuation by the party secretary, Hon Mojeed Olaoya, neither of them is a member of this group. I doubt if either of them is aware of this group or  knew of the peaceful protest before it held . I am however sure that they did not facilitate it in any way because I am at the center of the Planning, Logistics and Mobilization. This is another case of chasing shadow.

I realized that the two  distinguished party leaders, Ibikunle and Olatunbosun have the things in common which have been sources of headache for the governor and his apologists in the party secretariat. The first is that they are unrepentant LAMISTS, the second is that both  of them were given Federal Board Appointments in December last year without being recommended by the governor. The third reason is that both of them are aspiring for elective posts without soliciting the governor’s consent. While Olatunbosun wants to be elected chairman in his council, Fatai Ibikunle, former Personal Assistant to governor Lam Adesina and  a native of Ibarapa East Local Government is preparing to challenge Ajimobi for the Oyo South Senatorial election. What an affront?

If Mojeed Olaoya is pursuing his governorship ambition and he is so blinded with it that he cannot see the destruction the party has caused its members by its  refusal to conduct party primaries for over one year, he should allow others who were privileged, patient and reasonable enough to have  tapped from Lam’s fountain of knowledge to aspire for any position of their interests without unnecessary distraction, name calling and or  blackmail.

Ajimobi went to the senate in 2003 with active support of these  two. They were actively involved in his election in 2011 and they were the front runners and foot soldiers for his re-election, KOSELE RI. Why should they now be castigated for planning to do for themselves what they have done for Ajimobi?

While I am not advocating or holding brief  for either or both of them, I must state that it’s an insult for anybody to think Olatunbosun and Ibikunle are the only right thinking people in the state who will react and fight back when pushed to the wall.

Unless a free, fair, credible and democratic party primaries is held within the next two weeks for the local government election, we will strike again and it will be harder. This party belongs to all of us. Oyo state is for all of us . They are not private properties of a self-confessed Constituted Authority.

. ……………… …….