APC members in Diaspora canvass support for Oyebanji as Ekiti guber candidate
Former Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Akin Oke, yesterday, urged calm among party faithful and supporters in view of the controversies surrounding the emergence of new executive committee members at ward, local council and state levels.
Oke, who joined host of others to reject the inauguration and issuance of ‘Certificate of Returns’ to Isaac Omodewu as State Chairman of Oyo APC by the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), in a statement claimed it was time he broke his silence “in view of unfounded rumours and misrepresentation of facts making the rounds over the management of the lists generated by various stakeholders at ward and local council levels in conformity with the directives on consensus option as the basis for nomination of executive members.”
He said: “In all honesty, my main goal is to enjoy my private life after serving the progressive family for more than six decades and this implies that I am not going to remain in the saddle as the party chairman beyond this moment for any reason. However, I owe an average member of the party the duty of leaving behind a legacy one can be proud of. We maintain that all we submitted to various congress committees that came to the state were the lists received from relevant stakeholders at that time and the fact was established that no other list was submitted by any other person or group.
“Going forward, it is necessary for us to appeal to the national leadership of the party to consider treating Oyo APC issue the same way with those of Kano and Sokoto states where more time have been devoted to resolving the lingering intra-party crisis for true and genuine reconciliation to take place.
“Also, I use this opportunity to urge members to remain calm and optimistic as we all need ourselves and as a result of this, every leader and member of Oyo APC must eschew divisive tendencies. We must avoid confrontation and violence because we all remain members of the same family and our collective goal should be victory in 2023.”
MEANWHILE, members of Diaspora All Progressives Congress (APC) in the United States (U.S.) have appealed to other aspirants in the party’s just-concluded governorship primary in Ekiti State to sheathe their swords and support the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, who emerged winner in the interest of the party.
The party faithful, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Prof. Adesegun Labinjo, said: “We want to appeal to the aspirants to show maturity and do everything possible to keep the party together. The interest of the party is greater than anything. We appeal to them to join Oyebanji and Governor Kayode Fayemi and the entire APC members in the state.”
Besides, he congratulated Oyebanji and urged him to reach out to those who contested with him.
