Southwest APGA passes vote of no confidence in national chair

Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The Southwest APGA gave this position in a communique issued on Sunday, at the end of a southwest stakeholders meeting, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

In the communique, which was jointly signed Mike Angel Folorunso, chairman of the communique committee and Tayo Sowunmi, convener of the meeting and member of APGA Board of Trustees, the stakeholders, however,  lauded the leadership and governing style of Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State.

According to the stakeholders in the communique, the vote of no confidence in the national chairman of APGA was passed because of his high-handed leadership style.

They added that the inability of the national chairman to call a single meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party since 2015, equally called his leadership style to question.

The southwest stakeholders also alleged that Ike Oye has been sending incessant death threats to some members of the party who dared to advise him on the way forward for APGA.

The communique further condemned and rejected what it termed “the exorbitant and arbitrary fees” charged by the National Working Committee (NWC) to be paid by aspirants into the party offices during the 2019 state congresses and national convention, without the approval of the National Executive Committee.

While demanding that the national convention of the party be held in Abuja,  as demanded by the APGA northern stakeholders, the southwest stakeholders, demanded that nomination forms for all positions be made available to qualified aspirants at affordable prices, to encourage the growth of the party and ensure access to leadership positions to all members.

The communique reads further: “We demand that federal character principle be observed in all elective positions as required by both the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) and the APGA constitution (2014) as amended. It is against the national outlook for our great party to retain the cardinal positions in the same region for 17 years.

“That the convention delegates list be published and made available to all contestants after the state congresses and before the national convention, so as to allay fears of manipulation and unethical practices. This would be in line with best practices by INEC and other electoral bodies.

“Finally, the southwest stakeholders call for secret ballot voting at the national convention. We equivocally reject voice affirmation at the convention”.