By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has been urged to suspend the congress of the party held in Oyo State recently over alleged forgery of wards and delegates lists.
Some major stakeholders of the party in the state led by a former federal lawmaker, Senator Ayo Adeseun, made this call during a press conference in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
They accused a serving senator and a former governor of the state of manipulating the Oyo APC congress list for their selfish interests, condemning their high-handedness.
The chieftains of the party specifically accused former Governor of Oyo State, Mr Adebayo Alao-Akala, of surreptitiously cornering the party and pocketing the ward and local government delegates lists.
During the media briefing, Mr Adeseun decried the insensitive manner in which the culprits manipulated the delegates’ lists, despite what was sent to Abuja by the state executives after the legitimate ward and local government congresses held in Oyo State.
He noted that top-ranking party officials said the call for suspension was in order, adding that the culprits behind the shenanigans do not have the true interest of the party at heart.
Mr Adeseun said the list sent from Abuja for the state congress was totally different from what was sent from the state, noting that there is a limit to what the party membership could condone.
He, therefore, appealed to the National leadership of the party to take up the matter seriously and if need be, limit the list of delegates from Oyo State to the statutory number, according to the party’s constitution.
“We received information that the list sent in from Abuja had been tampered with by a serving senator and a former Governor of the State. In order to safeguard the integrity of the process, we appeal to our National Chairman to suspend the State congress until all of this is sorted out.
“We appeal to our National Excos to suspend this process. Oyo is a sensitive state. The National congress could be attended by the statutory list of delegates from the state,” he said.
The former lawmaker added that, “Oyo APC is ready to take over only if we are sincere with our hard-earned democracy.
“The so-called State congress has been postponed. We have committed too much to the party, than for anyone to make a fool of us.”
Present at the conference were former governorship candidate of the party, Mr Bayo Adelabu; House of Representatives member, Ms Tolu Akande-Sadipe; Minister for Sports, Mr Sunday Dare; ex-guber-aspirant, Mogaji Tegbe; Cardiovascular surgeon, Dr Adeduntan; NCC Chair, Prof. Adeolu Akande; former ALGON Chair, Abass Aleshinloye, among other party chieftains.
Adedapo Adesanya