Ahead of next year’s gubernatorial poll, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Saturday, barred any executive member of the party from mobilising support or coordinating activities of its governorship aspirants.

The party contended that the development was aimed at instilling discipline and promoting peace to avoid divisive tendencies among the rank and file of the party.

APC spokesperson Kola Olabisi, in a statement, said the decision was taken after the state chairman, Mr Tajudeen Lawal, held a stakeholders meeting in Osogbo, which had in attendance reinstated chairmen of local governments and the party’s chairmen at the grassroots level.

According to him, the state party chairman told the gathering that “the party had outlawed any executive member of the party at all the levels of the party from coordinating for any governorship aspirants in the interest of promoting peace and tranquility in the party.”

Lawal was quoted to have said, “Any executive member of our party at all the levels, be it at the unit, ward, local government, senatorial, and national, is disallowed from coordinating for any governorship aspirants.

“There is a need to perpetuate the injection of sanity into our party. The altercations oozing out from the members of the same political family, all in the guise of selling their preferred candidates, are worrisome, embarrassing, and less dignifying.

“Those of us who are guilty in this regard should do self-inspection with a view to turning over a new leaf, as the party would not hesitate to wield a big stick on any of our members who crosses the red line about this golden directive, which is meant for the fortification of our party before the next year’s governorship election.

“Let me again state here unequivocally that the party has not released the guidelines on the election and that whenever it is released, it will not be done under the table. It would be made available to everyone.

“It becomes imperative for the aspirants to call their foot soldiers and supporters to order and educate them on how important it is for them to play the game according to the rules, as any recalcitrant agent may be a source of political despair to his principal.

“The cacophonous noise is too deafening and causing avoidable disaffection within the party, and we would not be doing our party any good if we should close our eyes to the same, as it is inimical to the wellbeing of the party.”