From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State have protested the alleged refusal of the state executive committee to confirm and inaugurate their caretaker committee after nomination.
The members, under the aegis of Dapo Abiodun Youth Forum (DAYF), are accusing two former deputy governors of the state, Segun Adesegun and Senator Gbenga Kaka, of allegedly causing disunity and crisis in the party.
The protesters stormed the APC state secretariat in Abeokuta with placards bearing inscriptions such as: “Release our caretaker exco in Ijebu North”, “Inaugurate Tunde Adebajo as party chairman, Ijebu North”, “Obey the party guideline” and “The leaders’ decision should be followed in Ijebu North”.
They expressed their grievances over the crisis rocking the party in the Local Government, demanding the inauguration of Tunde Adebajo-led exco as the authentic executive committee of the party.
They appealed to the state executive to accede to their demands, warning that failure to do this may lead to court action.
In a petition presented to the state caretaker secretary of APC, Ayo Olubori, the group said four of the five top leadership and other categories of the party’s leaders attended the meeting where Adebajo was picked as the chairman of the party in the Local Government in February last year.
The petition, which was signed by the secretary of DAYF, Adeniyi Waheed, read in part:
‘Nominations were made and the list after due, painstaking and intellectual deliberations was unanimously compiled and forwarded to the state party secretariat with covering note duly signed by Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye and Hon. Dare Kadiri, the Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
‘To our greatest chagrin and utmost surprise, we confirm from very reliable sources that people who conveniently absented themselves from the 28 February 2020 meeting compiled not one but two separate lists and sent them to the party secretariat pleading with the party to accommodate their lists as opposed to the original list earlier sent and assented.
‘It is with a sense of equivalence and after thorough brainstorming session that we pass a vote of no confidence in some leaders of APC, Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun state, namely: Senator Gbenga Kaka and Segun Adesegun.
‘Arrival to this decision was brought about by their continued mudslinging, backbiting, backstabbing and betraying characteristics which if not nipped in the bud soonest, may cause an implosion within our great party.’
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Badejo Banjo, said: ‘We are here to complain about our party chairman. We want the state executive committee of the party to announce Tunde Adebajo as our choice as the chairman of the party in Ijebu North.
‘Out of the 20 Local Government Areas, the party released 19, we need our party chairman and we want them to follow the guideline and release our party chairman.
‘Stakeholders of the party in our Local Government sat down last year and chose our party chairman, Tunde Adebajo and we don’t know the reason why they withheld our Local Government.’
Attempts by Daily Sun to get the response of the state APC caretaker secretary, Ayo Olubori, failed as he declined to comment on the matter.
