Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Factional leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who emerged from parallel wards and local government congresses in Ondo State have urged the National Secretariat of the party to recognize them ahead of the state congress of the party holding on Saturday, May 19.
The leaders allege that ward and local government executives that emerged under state Acting Chairman Mr Ade Adetimehin’s faction did not follow due process.
Factional chairman of the party in Akure South Local Government Area, Chief Deji Fanibuyan, Akoko South-West, Daodu Bolakale and their counterpart in Ipogun Ward, Ifedore Local Government, Eyitayo Ogunleye, spoke at a news conference addressed on behalf of aggrieved chieftains of the party across the 18 council areas.
The faction described as unacceptable and anti-democratic the rejection of their complaints over irregularities that trailed the party’s local governments and wards congresses in the state by the APC congress appeal committee.
They implored the national leadership of the party not to accept any result compiled by the state executive led by Adetimehin, as they do not comply with congress guidelines.
The APC faction blamed party officials from Abuja for the violence and parallel congresses in the southwestern state.
The group appealed to other aggrieved members across the 18 local government areas to remain calm, as necessary lawful means would be taken to redress the situation, adding that their own wards and local government congresses followed party guidelines.
“We validly followed the APC guidelines for the congresses by paying for nomination forms, but the APC Congress Committee for Ondo State refused to issue nomination forms to us for the purpose of the respective congresses,” the complained.
We had conducted the ward and the LGA congresses in the recognized wards and local government area collation centres in our respective wards and LGAs throughout the state,” they added.
According to the factional leaders “The Representatives of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), DSS and Police were witnesses, after which the results were submitted to APC State and National Headquarters.”
