Oshiomhole, Ogun factions divided over Akinlade’s return

[Edoman]

POLITICS
Oshiomhole, Ogun factions divided over Akinlade’s return

 December 24, 2019





The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State seems not to agree with the National Chairman of the party over the return of Hon. Adekunle Akinlade to the party.

Akinlade who is the governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) in Ogun State, led his supporters back to the APC yesterday.

But it seems the leaders of the party have different reactions to Akinlade’s return to the party, which he left in December 2018, allegedly for, what he termed, the injustice meted out to him and other candidates loyal to former Governor Ibikunle Amosun by Oshiomhole.



DAILY POST recalls that Oshiomhole, during the time, dissolved the Derin Adebiyi-led executive, while inaugurating a three-man Caretaker Committee to oversee the party in the state.

The Committee, led by Yemi Sanusi, had yesterday said it was not aware of Akinlade’s return to the party.
Speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, the committee said it has not received any formal notification about Akinlade’s return to the APC.





Oladunjoye, while addressing newsmen, said the party would get further report, study the situation and respond accordingly in due time.

But to the surprise of the caretaker committee, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, joyfully welcomed Akinlade to the party; saying APC is a big family.

Our correspondent gathered that the Yemi Sanusi-led Caretaker Committee was not expecting a welcome message from Oshiomhole to Akinlade.



This, it was learnt has caused tension in the camp of the former Governor Segun Osoba faction of the APC as they fear that the caretaker committee might be dissolved for the reinstatement of the duly elected executive of the party.


Making a u-turn on Friday, Oladunjoye said, “The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has received news of the return of the entire members of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ogun State, its governorship candidate in the last election and the collapse of all its structures into to our great party, the APC.”






To say the least, APC is a party of the progressives and provides room for all. The party, at any point in time, is therefore ready to receive repentant members back into the fold. However, while we see the announced return of the APM members into our party as a welcome development, we are quick to add there is a process of joining or returning to our party in accordance with the party’s constitution and established procedures. We, therefore, urge them to return to their various wards for registration and realignment.


“Also, apart from going back to their various wards to re-enroll and reconcile with their people and leaders, it is also important for them to abide by the prevailing peace and decorum in Ogun APC and work under the Caretaker Executive formed by the National Working Committee of our party under the leadership of Chief Yemi Sanusi.


“We urge all those who have cases against the party in courts to withdraw same without further delay. Only this will demonstrate their loyalty and sincerity.”




Meanwhile, Chief Derin Adebiyi has also welcomed Akinlade and his loyalists to the APC, saying:


“On Monday, December 23, 2019, many aggrieved members led by erstwhile governorship candidate of APM, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade took a historic and firm decision to come back to the APC family in Ogun State. We welcome them whole heatedly. Their return will increase our strength and this is another opportunity for us to work on our unity because unity is strength.


“They are no strangers to the party. As a matter of fact, we see their return as homecoming. It is a victory to lovers of democracy and shame to the agents of imposition. You could recall all the things that happened during our party’s primaries in October last year which did not go down well with our members and which led to many exercising their electoral franchise elsewhere. That has become history today.


“However, we are not resting on our oars. The journey has been an arduous but surely ennobling one that will produce victory, in the end, over the forces trying to hijack the machinery of the party in the state”.