Ex-envoy faults Akeredolu’s outburst against Ondo APC NWC over 10th N’Assembly leadership

The immediate past Ambassador to Togo and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sola Iji, has faulted Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for criticising the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) over the zoning of National Assembly leadership.

Iji, in a statement, yesterday, described Akeredolu’s move to question the decision of the NWC as tantamount to disrespect, capable of causing disaffection within the party.

The former envoy maintained that the statement attributed to Akeredolu should be viewed from his personal perspective and does not necessarily reflect the position of the leaders of the party in the state.

Iji said: “Akeredolu did not only openly criticise the NWC for taking such a decision on zoning, but also went ahead to reject the NWC decision. Besides, he commended those aspirants who were disappointed or not favoured by the zoning for protesting, and encouraged them to engage in an untoward insurrection against the party on account of the said decision on zoning.

“A highly-placed and respected leader, such as the Governor of Ondo State, should not be heard to make an outburst that is capable of oozing disparaging remarks about the leadership of our great party.

“As a matter of fact, such a matter should not be a subject of discussion on the pages of newspapers. Rather, it should have been attended to pleasingly.

“In fact, the governor, as a leader of the party in his own right, has unimpeded access to the leadership of the party, including the national chairman, other national leaders and members of the NWC, as well as the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with whom he ought to have had private discussions to articulate his misgivings about the NWC decision.

“Apart from his private access to the leadership of the NWC, the governor has a very close and known access to the national secretary of the party, apart from the fact that Ondo State is being represented in the NWC by D. I. Kekemeke, the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party.”

Iji further stated that “it couldn’t have been otherwise but a private opinion because leaders of the party in Ondo state were never consulted on such a position, which runs counter to a valued effort and decision of the NWC to ensure orderliness in the affairs of the party as we prepare for the inauguration of the next APC Presidency and the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

“Given the rigorous efforts of the leadership of our great party in resolving the zoning formula timeously, one would have expected tremendous plaudits to be accorded our national leaders for their temerity in nipping the quite sensitive issue in the bud. Therefore, the impression should not be allowed to fester that the efforts of the NWC and the national leaders are being jeopardized by the Ondo state chapter of the party.

“This is not the first time that the governor would be acting against the decision of the NWC. Recall that in 2019, the leadership of our party decided to compensate those National Assembly members who, through their loyalty and dedication, helped stabilize the party and the government at the national level.

“The governor, in a similar manner, rejected the NWC decision to give return tickets to the affected National Assembly members and instead encouraged and sponsored his own preferred candidates to contest on the platform of an opposition party.”