The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to conduct its nationwide state congresses on October 16,2021. The date for the congresses, which was earlier fixed for Saturday October 2, 2021 was shifted by two weeks.
In announcing the decision to change the date, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, who is the National Secretary, APC Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), did not give any reason for its postponement.
He only said an updated timetable and schedule of activities and guidelines for the conduct of the State Congresses would be released to the public in due course.
It would be recalled that the party had carried out its ward and local government congresses on July 31 and September 4, 2021, respectively.
The successful conduct of the state congresses will precede a national convention of the party where a new set of executive will emerge for the party at the national level. No date has been fixed yet for the national convention.
In both the ward and local government congresses earlier conducted by the ruling APC, there were reports of protests resulting in parallel congresses in many states of the federation. There were reports of parallel ward congresses in almost 14 states. Several factions in the state chapters held parallel congresses as against the directives of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) which kicked against such.
While the leadership of the party is looking for the means to address these problems that arose from the congresses, especially through the setting up of an Appeal Committee, which has already paid visits to the affected states, reports reaching THEWILL indicates that the committee’s report or intervention didn’t meet the expectations of aggrieved members of the party. Hence these, aggrieved members across the state chapters have expressed the determination to give whatever it takes to challenge the authorities in their state Caretaker Committees. A group in Ekiti State APC is already in court calling for the cancellation of the ward congress in the state.
Political observers have said what made the situation critical was that the party went into local government congresses without resolving the crisis that emanated from the ward congresses.
The appeal committee visited most of the states where there were agitations, but the resolution of the disputes was not done before the local government congresses were held. In the same way, the party is yet to resolve the crisis that emanated from the local government congresses before the new date for the state congresses is fixed.
“The CECPC just carried on as if there was no serious agitation on ground, but in reality there were agitations,” a public affairs commentator in Abuja, John Ojo, told THEWILL.
THEWILL has further gathered that the seeming silence in most states is just artificial and temporary as an implosion may soon occur by the time the state congresses are concluded.
As the party gets ready for the state congresses, the states where parallel congresses and two sets of state executives of the party may emerge include Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ondo, Enugu, Imo and Kwara States.
Political observers believe the cracks within the party’s hierarchy may widen after the state congresses, if care is not taken.
Speaking with THEWILL, a member of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), a group loyal to Tinubu, who doesn’t want his name in print, said the group has gone to court and that nothing has changed.
“We are still in court to stop further congresses. We are just watching them. Let them go ahead with the state congress in Ekiti. We are going to conduct our own congress and we will produce our own executive,” he said.
It would be recalled that in Ekiti State, the agreement reached during the ward and local government congresses by the group loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi was opposed by Senator Dayo Adeyeye-led SWAGA.
Speaking on the Congress, Adeyeye said the Ward Congress was nothing but a charade. “We are hereby telling the CECPC, our party members nationwide and indeed, all Nigerians, that there was no congress in Ekiti State. What happened was a charade that cannot pass the test of democracy and it is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Dissatisfied with the conduct of the July 31 ward congress in Ekiti State, SWAGA, had dragged the All Progressives Congress to Court, calling for outright annulment of the election.
In a Suit Number FHC/AD/CS/21/2021 filed at the Federal High Court, Ekiti State Division, the group sought an interlocutory injunction stopping the conduct of the local government congress or an order declaring the outcome illegal.
The suit deposed to by 36 SWAGA members and contestants in the ward Congress on behalf of over 3,650 members of the group in Ekiti was filed by their lawyers, Barrister Ayodeji Odu and five others for the plaintiffs.
Joined in the suit are the following: APC (1st defendant), Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni (2nd defendant); Ekiti APC Chairman, Paul Omotoso (3rd defendant); Chairman, Ekiti Congress Screening Committee, Samuel Abejide (4th defendant) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (5th defendant).
The plaintiffs sought an order declaring that the congress of the 1st defendant purportedly held on July 31 and organised and conducted by or under the instruction/supervision of 2nd and 3rd defendants in Ekiti State as unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.
They also prayed the court to declare that the congress of the 1st defendant purportedly held in Ekiti-State on July 31, 2021 was in total breach of democratic norms and practices and violation of the Constitution and guidelines issued by the 1st defendant for the conduct of the 2021 ward congresses.
Others include a declaration that “no congress was held in the Ekiti State chapter of the 1st defendant as no result has been declared in respect of the congress as at the date of filing this case.
“A declaration that the 2nd defendant cannot hold the position of Chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee of the 1st defendant as such appointment/role is a constitutional violation of section 187 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and article 8 of the 1st defendant’s constitution.
“A declaration that all actions or steps taken by the 1st defendant under the control, supervision, direction of the so called caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee of APC, headed by the 2nd defendant, including the conduct of ward congresses across Nigeria and Ekiti State on July 31, 2021 was illegal and unconstitutional on the ground that the 2nd defendant under whose such steps or actions were taken was ineligible to superintend over 1st defendant party affairs while still serving in office as a Governor.
“A declaration that all committee/Ward congress committees set up by the 3rd defendant pursuant to the Ward Congress of July 31, 2021 was unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and in total violation of the guidelines of the 1st defendant on conduct of the congress”.
They also sought an injunction restraining the 1st and 3rd defendants from conducting any further congresses into local government and state offices of 1st defendant in Ekiti State pending the determination of the substantive matter.
The plaintiffs asked for an injunction restraining the 5th defendant from recognising or dealing with any ward executive or officers purportedly produced from the purported ward congress of July 31, 2021 in Ekiti State.
In Lagos State, four parallel congresses were held on July 31. They are Tunde Balogun-led States Caretaker Committee, which was recognised and supervised by representatives of the CECPC; Moshood El-Salvador faction, Abdul Azeez Adediran and Fouad Oki factions, who all organised parallel congresses. Each of the factions has since submitted its results to the CECPC.
The other factions accused the Balogun-led caretaker committee of not following due process in line with party guidelines before the congresses. But this was dismissed by the Lagos APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, who said forms were put on sale for days at the state secretariat of the party. He said the group led by Adediran, Lagos4Lagos, decided to constitute themselves into the opposition within APC and they refused to identify with the state secretariat.
He said, “Abuja definitely will not deal with a caucus within the party, but with the duly recognised executive at the state level. The forms were sent to the state and if they refuse to go to the secretariat, they only have themselves to blame. This is politics, not activism. When you belong to a political group, you must adhere to the guidelines in its constitution.
“What he did to the best of my knowledge is that his group boycotted the congress because they did not buy forms and follow the guidelines. The ward congress committee was duly constituted and the committee from Abuja set to oversee the congress in Lagos, it also held a stakeholders’ meeting, which everyone attended, they agreed to a consensus.
“If they go to court, we expect that there will be fair hearing and we also have every right to defend our position.”
He noted that the idea of consensus means the aggregation of opinions of majority members of the party, stressing that consensus does not translate to a 100 percent agreement.
But, as preparation for the state congress is in top gear, a group in Lagos All Progressives Congress, known as Lagos4Lagos, penultimate Thursday unveiled a 36-member executive to participate in the forthcoming state congress of the party.
Lead Visionary of the Lagos4Lagos Movement of Lagos APC, Dr Olajide Adediran, popularly called “Jandor,” unveiled the executive members, chaired by Prince Sunday Ajayi, at a media briefing held at the Liberty House, Secretariat of the group at Adeniji Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
Jandor, who was confident that the executive members would be recognised by the national body for the state convention when duly elected, said,“There is no going back on this. It is better for them to join us in contest or lose out at the end of the day.”
According to him, due diligence had been followed in line with the guidelines and constitution of the party.
On being in tandem with the party’s constitution, Jandor stated, “The answer is that the party called for congresses at all levels and they brought out a guideline of what they wanted us to do. If you are interested in applying for any position, this is what you need, there is a set of forms which you must buy.
“The party said, this is the approved number where to pay, if you pay us and present your nomination we are going to give you forms, which we did.
We paid, collected tellers, so when somebody hijacks the form, we understand the question of the law, the most important thing is that you asked us to pay and we have evidence of payment.
“Those are the things we presented before the appeal and we went ahead to affirm the appeal. These are still parts of the procedures and guidelines of the party.
“So, if the party at the national level doesn’t recognise us, they won’t invite us to come to the appeal committee. They know there is a dissenting voice in Lagos, which enables us to be carried along in other processes.
“As party members, we have every right to fight for any of the party positions, which is what we are doing. This is our right.
“Now, of course, our party allows for consensus, but where that fails there must be an elective congress. We don’t canvass people to say you must buy into this. The party’s constitution and guidelines are already clear. There is nothing wrong in us sitting together and saying this is how we want it done.
“If we all agree with one problem, even if we agree at the round table, the provisions of the constitution say that we should take it to the view for all other members or delegates as the case may be, to affirm that truly we did this. So this is what we have been following.
“We will continue to follow, so that at the end of the day, if they refuse to change or show repentance we can take them to court. I believe we have done the needful. We are only waiting for them also to do the needful.
In Oyo State, the July 31 ward congresses across the state were conducted under the leadership of Alhaji Gambo Lawan. Although the Chairman of the Elders’ Advisory Council of the party, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala and Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), denied that there were skirmishes and parallel congresses at Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun zones.
The issue of manipulation being raised by some groups within the party is putting a question mark on the integrity of the exercise. Whatever grievances expressed during the congresses at the Ward and Local Governments have not been resolved, THEWILL gathered.
In Osun, the Congresses so far conducted brought to the fore division within the party. Parallel congresses were held in some of the local government areas by a group loyal to the former governor and current Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola which tagged itself, The Osun Progressive, TOP and another group controlled by Governor Gboyega Oyetola, known as the Ileri Oluwa group.
There were records of skirmishes because of the unresolved mode that the congress went through. Oyetola who is a member of the CECPC and Caretaker Chairman of APC in the state, Prince Gboyega Famodun, had insisted on using consensus for the ward congresses. But the state’s Caretaker Committee Secretary, Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile; Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Adesiji and former chairman of the party, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi led other notable members to demand direct elections and rejected the consensus arrangement.
There was violence when the Ward Appeal Committee visited Osogbo, the state capital, to receive appeal from the aggrieved groups. This eventually led to the arraignment of some leaders of the TOP for allegedly causing a breach of the peace in the state.
Speaking to THEWILL, a chieftain of TOP, Barrister Gbenga Akano, said the group was still awaiting the verdict of the Appeal Committee that visited the state after the ward congress.
He said, “It is unfortunate that the situation within Osun APC has degenerated to the level it is now.” But he absolved members of TOP of any blame saying the governor’s camp were the perpetrators of violence.
Akano further confirmed that the meetings and mobilisation of TOP members are ongoing in all the 30 local government areas of the state.
In Ogun State, the unresolved war of attrition between the former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and incumbent, Prince Dapo Abiodun, which played out in the ward and local government congresses as their supporters held parallel congresses is still there. Reports have it that party leaders from both camps stormed their wards with a prepared list of executives, which was later adopted after the headcount of party members in attendance during both congresses in the state.
It was also noted that during the ward and local government congresses, parallel congresses were held by former Governor Gbenga Daniel’s group and a group loyal to Governor Abiodun.
Political observers also believe that the Kwara State Chapter of the APC may produce two sets of state executives after October 16. It would be recalled that the state chapter of the party has been divided into two: Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak’s faction and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s faction. The two factions produced parallel executives at the Ward and Local Governments level.
In Enugu there is also a crisis between members of the APC foundation Legacy and former Governor Ken Nnamani’s group.
The Publicity Secretary of the APC in Enugu State, Mrs Kate Ofor, said members of the party had resolved to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to save them from Senator Ken Nnamani and Co, who she alleged desired to shut out APC foundation legacy members in the state.
“Foundation members of APC in Enugu State have gradually improved the electoral fortunes of our great party from 2015 to the 2019 general election. We need to improve, especially with the registration of new members. However, we wish to appeal that the flagrant breach of Article 20 of the APC Constitution by Senator Ken Nnamani’s imposition called consensus be urgently addressed before the October 16, 2021 State Congress.”
Speaking after their virtual meeting, on behalf of the party, Ofor added, “Our core resolution in the meeting is to call on Mr President who is the leader of our great party to Save Our Soul. Our understanding is that Senator Ken Nnamani and Co.’s devious plan is to shut out APC foundation legacy members in Enugu State.
“His Excellency, M.M. Buni, as a foundation legacy member, knows how we toiled and sacrificed to build the brand APC, while Nnamani and Co were in their PDP comfort zone. We also need Buni’s deft reconciliation tactics. Nnamani and Co did not bring anything to the table, neither electoral value nor people nor money.”
Political analysts and watchers of political developments in the country are however saying that to avoid a deepening crisis, the leadership of the party should look into genuine grievances arising from the ward and local government congresses before the conduct of the state congresses on October 16, 2021.
