September 12, (THEWILL) – This is not the best of times for the All Progressive Congress (APC) as its congresses, which kicked off at the ward level on Saturday, July 31, 2021 have polarised the party in most states of the federation. The division within the party is, however, more pronounced in the South-West.
There were reports of parallel ward congresses in almost 14 states. Several factions in the state chapters held parallel congresses as disobedience to the directives of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) which kicked against them.
While the leadership of the party at the national level is looking for the means to address these problems, aggrieved members across the state chapters have expressed the determination to give whatever it takes to challenge the authorities in the various state caretaker committees. As if it is carrying out their threat, a group in Ekiti State APC has already gone to court to request the cancellation of the ward congress in the state.
What makes the situation worse was that the party went into local government congresses without resolving the crisis that emanated from the ward congresses.
The appeal panels visited most of the states where there were agitations, but the resolution of the disputes was never done before the local government congresses were held.
“The CECPC just carried on as if there was no serious agitation on ground, but in reality there were such agitations,” a public affairs commentator based in Abuja, John Ojo, told THEWILL.
THEWILL gathered that the seeming silence in most states is just artificial and temporary as an implosion may occur by the time the congresses are concluded.
In the South-West states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ondo, some factions that held parallel congresses stated that unless the CECPC took steps to address the injustices perpetrated during the ward ànd local government congresses, the cracks within the party’s hierarchy may widen.
In Ekiti, the consensus agreement reached during the congress by the group loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi was opposed by the pro – Tinubu group, the South West Agenda for Asiwaju ( SWAGA) led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye .
Speaking on the congress, Adeyeye said it was nothing but a charade.
“We are hereby telling the CECPC, our party members nationwide and indeed, all Nigerians, that there was no congress in Ekiti State. What happened was a charade that cannot pass the test of democracy and it is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Dissatisfied with the conduct of the July 31 ward congress in the state, SWAGA had dragged the All Progressives Congress to court, calling for outright annulment of the election.
In a Suit Number FHC/AD/CS/21/2021 filed at the Federal High Court, Ekiti State Division, the group sought an interlocutory injunction stopping the conduct of the local government congress or an order declaring the outcome illegal.
The suit deposed to by 36 SWAGA members and contestants in the ward congress on behalf of over 3,650 members of the group in Ekiti was filed by Barrister Ayodeji Odu and five other lawyers for the plaintiffs.
Joined in the suit are APC (1st defendant), the Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni (2 defendant), Ekiti APC Chairman, Paul Omotoso (3rd defendant), Chairman, Ekiti Congress Screening Committee, Samuel Abejide (4th defendant) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (5th defendant).
The plaintiffs sought an order declaring the congress of the 1st defendant purportedly held on July 31, 2021, organised and conducted by or under the instruction/supervision of 2nd and 3rd defendants in Ekiti State as unconstitutional, illegal and null and void.
They also prayed the court to declare that the congress was in total breach of democratic norms and practices, as well as a violation of the Constitution and guidelines issued by the 1st defendant for the conduct of the 2021 ward congresses.
Others include “A declaration that no congress was held in the Ekiti State chapter of the 1st defendant as no result has been declared in respect of the congress as at the date of filling this case.
“A declaration that the 2nd defendant cannot hold the position of Chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee of the 1st defendant as such appointment/role is a constitutional violation of section 187 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and article 8 of the 1st defendant’s constitution.
“A declaration that all actions or steps taken by the 1st defendant under the control, supervision, direction of the so-called caretaker exraordinary convention planning committee headed by the 2nd defendant, including the conduct of ward congresses across Nigeria and Ekiti State on 31st July, 2021, was illegal and unconstitutional on the ground that the 2nd defendant under whose such steps or actions were taken was ineligible to superintend over 1st defendant party affairs while still serving in office as a Governor.
“A declaration that all committee/Ward congress committees set up by the 3rd defendant pursuant to the Ward Congress of 31st July 2021 was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and in total violation of the guidelines of the 1st defendant on conduct of the congress”.
They also sought an injunction restraining the 1st and 3rd defendants from conducting any further congresses into local government and state offices of 1st defendant in Ekiti State, pending the determination of the substantive matter.
The plantiffs asked for an injunction restraining the 5th defendant from recognising or dealing with any ward executive or officers purportedly produced from the purported ward congress of 31st July, 2021 in Ekiti State.
In Lagos State, four parallel congresses were held on July 31. They are – Tunde Balogun-led states caretaker committee, which was recognised and supervised by representatives of the CECPC; Moshood El-Salvador faction; Abdul Azeez Adediran and Fouad Oki faction who all organised parallel congresses. Each of the factions has since submitted its results to the CECPC.
The other factions accused the Balogun-led caretaker committee of not following due process in line with party guidelines before the congresses, but their allegation was dismissed by the Lagos APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, who said forms were on sale for several days at the state secretariat of the party. He said the group led by Adediran, Lagos4Lagos, had decided to constitute themselves as an opposition group within the APC and refused to identify with the state secretariat.
He said, “Abuja definitely will not deal with a caucus within the party but with the duly recognised executive at the state level. The forms were sent to the state and if they refused to go to the secretariat, they only have themselves to blame. This is politics, not activism. When you belong to a political group, you must adhere to the guidelines in its constitution.
“What he did to the best of my knowledge is that his group boycotted the congress because they did not buy forms and follow the guidelines. The ward congress committee was duly constituted and the committee from Abuja set to oversee the congress in Lagos. It also held a stakeholders’ meeting, which everybody attended and they agreed to a consensus.
“If they go to court, we expect that there will be fair hearing. We have every right to defend our position.”
He noted that the idea of consensus means the aggregation of opinions of a majority of the members of the party, stressing that consensus does not translate to a 100 per cent agreement.
In Oyo State, the July 31 ward congresses held across the state were conducted under the leadership of Alhaji Gambo Lawan. Although the Chairman of the Elders’ Advisory Council of the party, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala and Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), denied that there were skirmishes and parallel congresses at Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun zones, the issue of manipulation raised by some groups within the party has placed a question mark on the integrity of the exercise.
A group within APC known as the Oyo Progressives Front (OPF) warned top officials of the CECPC against tampering with the outcome of the exercise.
Another group, The Real Progressives (TRP), cautioned against a purported plan by some gladiators to overturn the ward congresses.
The Progressive Democrat Front (PDF) also cried out, alleging manipulation of the results of the exercise.
In Osun, the congress brought to the fore the division within the party. Parallel congresses were held in some of the local government areas by a group loyal to the former governor and current Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola which tagged itself, The Osun Progressives (TOP) and another group controlled by Governor Gboyega Oyetola, known as Ileri Oluwa group.
There were records of skirmishes because of the unresolved mode that the congress would take. Oyetola, who is a member of the CECPC and the Caretaker Chairman of APC in the state, Prince Gboyega Famodun, had insisted on using consensus for the ward congresses. But the state’s Caretaker Committee Secretary, Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile, Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji and former chairman of the party, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi, led other notable members to demand direct elections and rejected the consensus arrangement.
There was violence when the Ward Appeal Committee visited Osogbo, the state capital, to receive appeal from an aggrieved group.
Speaking with THEWILL on the violent clash, an active member of TOP, Barrister Gbenga Akano, said, “It is unfortunate that the situation within Osun APC has degenerated to the level it is now.” But, however, he absolved members of TOP of any blame, saying the governor’s camp were the perpetrators of violence.
“It behoves on us,the TOP caucus of the APC, who had earlier forwarded some petitions to the national secretariat of our party on the development in the state to submit our petitions to the appeal committee. We have grievances. We called for congress, Oyetola’s camp called for consensus. The directive of the National Secretariat on consensus was an advice. It said where possible go for consensus. They neglected ‘ where possible’ and decided to make consensus. We said no , we made a lot of noise on that.
Akano, who was Assistant Chief of Staff to Aregbesola in his first term as governor and later served as Special Adviser on Tax and Revenue Matters during his second term, said: “I led the petitioners to the party Secretariat that Saturday. When we got there we were peaceful, but may be the Oyetola group felt intimidated by the crowd. They started removing TOP caps from our members’ heads.
Those that started the violence were not members of TOP. We were peaceful, orderly and singing songs to motivate our members and to ginger them”.
The Chairman of TOP, Adelowo Adebiyi alleged that Oyetola bought forms for all the candidates with a single teller and that members of the congress committee were held hostage by the governor and made inaccessible to those who wanted to obtain forms.
He said that his faction eventually got forms directly from the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja. Some youths of the party caucus staged a protest against the planned consensus mode. They also accused the congress committee of sidelining their members.
In Ogun State, the unresolved war of attrition between the former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the incumbent, Prince Dapo Abiodun played out as their supporters held parallel congresses.
Reports have it that party leaders from both camps stormed their wards with a prepared list of executives, which was later adopted after the head count of party members in attendance.
It was also noted that during the local government congresses a parallel congress was held in Ogun State by a group loyal to former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and another group loyal to Governor Abiodun.
Speaking on what happened during the congresses, a chieftain of the party in Osun State said there was nothing new in it.
“I am not new to politics. What we have is normal. You can’t have everybody agree in a political party. But the majority worked for the success of the Congress,” he said.
Political analysts and pundits are however saying that to avoid a deepening crisis, the leadership of the party should look into genuine grievances arising from the congresses.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
