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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Rotimi Ajanaku, has told the national leadership of the party that there is internal rancour within the party, which must be addressed in good time, if the party will make headway during 2023 general elections.
He made this known in his reaction to a recent statement credited to the party’s chairman in the state, Chief Akin Oke, that there was no internal wrangling within the party, saying living in self-denial of the obvious crisis might still work against the party in 2023, the way it did during the 2019 general elections.
According to him, if APC is desirous of conquering the state in the next general elections, the internal party policy must be restructured to allow fairness, equity and justice. He contended that saying there is no rancour within the party would send wrong signals to the national leadership of the party in Abuja and the presidency.
Ajanaku described the statement credited to Oke in which he denied any rancour within the party, as height of insincerity and insensitivity to the problems affecting the stability of the party in the state, adding: “The chairman’s statement is unnecessary. It is not expressing sincerity. It is a distraction and insensitive to the plights of the aggrieved party members. It’s unfair to the feelings and emotions of those who have contributed in no small ways to the survival and stability of the party in the state from its formative years.
“Can we afford to lose all the party members and loyalists who are currently not with the party and still win 2023 elections? Can future elections be won for the party by the few individuals or opportunists who have benefited and still benefitting from the party? Haven’t those marginalised and unjustly schemed out at the party’s various primaries that preceded 2019 general elections rights to express grievances and displeasure?
“Perhaps, I should remind the chairman that shortly after 2019 elections when the party first made a move to reconcile its members, the leadership of the party under the authority of the late Senator Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi promised to ensure that those affected by the irregularities that characterised 2019 primaries would be compensated with various appointments. Can the chairman mention or list the names of those who have so been compensated?
“Should we forget in a hurry how the party was built and formed? Wasn’t it through collective contributions of everyone, especially some of the people we see today as enemies of the party? I think progressivism is a political philosophy in support of social reform; so shouldn’t there be internal social reform?
“If progressive is said to be a social or political movement that aims to represent the interests of ordinary people through political change and the support of government actions, so why would some people turn the party to secret organisation that is established to serve only their selfish interests. That’s why they continue to recycle themselves by fencing out others?”
