From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State stormed the party secretariat at Iyana Mortuary in Abeokuta on Tuesday to protest what they described as ‘imposition of chairmanship candidate’ by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The Movement For Progressive Change accused the governor of breaching the constitution of the party which stipulates that a candidate must emerge either through a direct or indirect primary or via consensus.
The group, speaking through its coordinator, Abimbola Ajayi, at the APC’s Secretariat in Abeokuta, explained that the leadership of the party in Odogbolu, according to the governor’s directive, had through the voting process submitted the name of one Ola Olufunmilayo, whom they described as their preferred choice as the consensus candidate.
The group stressed that, initially, the governor approved Olufunmilayo as the APC chairmanship candidate, but later upturned the resolutions of the leaders without giving any reason.
They lamented that the governor, despite his initial approval of Olufunmilayo, later imposed his choice candidate against the people’s choice.
They expressed fear that the governor’s action might cause major disunity among party members in Odogbolu Local Government.
Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as: “Give Us Our Candidate; “Olufunmilayo is who we want, Don’t Set Odogbolu on Fire”, amongst others, alleged that the governor’s action has since set the whole Odogbolu political atmosphere in a dire state of confusion.
‘The governor made the pronouncement of Ola Olufunmilayo as the consensus candidate of the party in Odogbolu Local Government, and he further asked if there was any dissenting voice against the pick which none of the leaders objected to.
‘But to the dismay of the entire party leadership in Odogbolu LG, the governor upturned the resolutions of the leaders without any genuine reason and imposed his choice candidate on the populace, thereby setting the whole Odogbolu political atmosphere in a dire state of confusion,’ the group stated.
The protesters appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other leaders of the APC to as a matter of urgency intervene in the matter and save the party in the state.
Reacting to the allegation of the protesters, the Publicity Secretary, APC Caretaker Committee in the state, Tunde Oladunjoye, described the allegation as ‘speculative’.
‘I want to let you know that only one person can occupy an elective office at a time. There will be complaints. That’s part of party politics. I can assure you the party is addressing all concerns,’ he stated.