Ward Congress: Group Accuses Oyetola’s Group of Harassing, Intimidating APC Members in Osun
- Allegations of illegality are now trailing the conduct of the All Progressive Congress (APC) ward congress in Osun state
- A group within the party in the state says the process was hijacked by powerful forces within the APC in Osun
- The group alleged that party members loyal to the governor of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola compromised the process
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Osogbo - A group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun known as The Osun Progressives (TOP) has raised an alarm, alleging that illegality was perpetrated at the party's ward congress on Saturday, July 31 in the state.
According to the group, the Ilerioluwa faction of the APC compromised members of the ward congress committee sent from the national secretariat of the party to conduct the exercise in the state.
Source: Facebook
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Legit.ng gathered that the faction is loyal to the governor of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.
TOP alerted the national secretariat of the APC that whatever result brought to the party headquarters by the Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye-led ward congress committee is fake and should be disregarded.
Part of the statement sent to Legit.ng and signed by the chairman of the group, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi read:
“The Osun Progressives (TOP) reject the white lie told by Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, the chairman of the ward congress committee sent from the APC national secretariat, in the bid to cover the scam and sacrilege against democracy that they called congress last Saturday.
“Sadly, the representatives of the highly referred and reputable National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC will descend so low to tell a bare-faced lie to cover the illegality they called ward congress.
“Elegbeleye said that only those who obtained forms were screened and had congress conducted for and we say it is a white lie that stands all logic on its head.
“May it please Elegbeleye to tell the whole world where, when and who conducted the screening for 35 persons in each of the 30 local governments and one area office?
“It will be necessary too for Elegbeleye to tell the world, how he managed to screen the number of contestants running to several thousand when his committee arrived Osogbo on Friday evening with the congress commencing in the morning of Saturday, July 31, 2021.
“Elegbeleye will do well to tell the whole world and produce the list of those who supervised the congress in each of the 332 wards other than the governor's group, IleriOluwa who were harassing and intimidating hapless party members in most wards where elections were held.
“It is intriguing that Elegbeleye supervised a sensitive assignment like the holding of Ward Congress without seeing or talking to the State Party Secretary, the custodian of party documents, and claimed that he had a successful assignment.
“Elegbeleye did more damage to the fragile image of our party than he met it with his mischievous misconduct of the Saturday ward Congress and we note that it is not in the party's interest that he has acted.”
Allegations of illegality not new to Osun APC
TOP had earlier raised an alarm, alleging that key stakeholders were excluded from the ward congress on Saturday, July 31 in Osun state.
The group alleged that the national secretariat officers sent to Osogbo, the Osun state capital, to conduct the congress exercise were hijacked, ambushed, and kept from being accessed by other stakeholders in the party.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, July 30, Adebiyi, drew the attention of Governor Mai Mala Buni's committee to the issue.
Angry Osun APC members hit the streets
Recall that some youths who are members of the APC in Osun accused senior members of the party in the state of sharp practices.
The youths specifically stated that Governor Oyetola and caretaker chairman of the APC, Prince Gboyega Famodun are manipulating the processes ahead of the ward congress of the party.
The youths who staged a protest on the Gbongan-Ibadan road, Ogo-Oluwa in the Osun capital Osogbo, on Friday, July 30 alleged that Oyetola and Famodun are hijacking the nomination forms brought by some national officials of the APC to the state.
Source: Legit.ng
