Politics
Makinde’s planned Lg poll, theatre of the absurd – Oyo APC
Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the purported plan by Governor Seyi Makinde to conduct fresh local government election in May this year as a theatre of the absurd which could not attract the attention of any serious political player or pundits as it was a mere waste of time and resources.
The PDP administration of Governor Makinde and the opposition APC had been at daggers’ drawn over the legality or otherwise of the governor’s decision to dissolve the elected officials of the 33 local government councils and 35 local council development areas on his first day in office in 2019.
It will be recalled that the Supreme Court has announced May 7, 2021 as the date for its final verdict on the matter.
Oyo APC, in a statement issued on Friday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Special Assistant (Media) to its Caretaker Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, and Secretary to the Committee on the Membership Registration and Revalidation Exercise, Olawale Sadare, stated that Governor Makinde had again exposed himself as a person who lacked respect for the principle of constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
The statement read, “It is obvious that the governor knows that his decision to sack democratically elected chairmen and councillors is an aberration as well as a slap on democracy and the rule of law. This has reflected in the back and forth tactics he has been using in calming the nerves of the people over the stagnation he has brought into the administration of the third tier of government in the state.
“And to further demonstrate his disrespect to the Judiciary, Gov. Makinde waited for the Supreme Court to pick a date for its judgment on the ALGON case against him before ordering his stooges in OYSIEC to roll out guidelines for the purported plan to conduct a fresh local government election in the state. In the mind of the governor, the worst scenario would be for the Court to order financial compensation for his victims in lieu of the last two years of the tenure which he has robbed them.
“But our firm belief in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man gives us an assurance that Gov. Makinde and his party would be utterly disappointed this time because it is clear that he had acted illegally and shamefully to the consternation of all defenders of democracy, rule of law and rationality. For us in APC, our resolve to remain calm so far in the face of oppression, injustice and rights violation was borne out of our commitment to peace in the society as well as the protection of the nation’s fragile democracy.
“It is recalled that we recently granted a request for visitation by the chairman and members of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission appointed by Gov. Makinde without a recourse to the illegality surrounding their appointment. We did this to demonstrate our commitment to dialogue and peaceful resolution of any matter of contention in democracy. The team led by Mr. Isiaka Olagunju (SAN) was told in clear term that our party would always be ready to act in the interest of the society, democracy and the rule of law. What this simply indicates is that we would never be a party to any illegality or act capable of setting a bad precedent in the country no matter the level of intimidation or blackmail.
“Apart from the fact that the planned conduct of local government election in Oyo state is a mockery of democracy and the judiciary, no member of the society would have confidence in Gov. Makinde as somebody who has what it takes to deliver a free, fair and hitch-free poll in the state giving his lackadaisical approach to security of lives and property of the people in the state.
“As a matter of fact, all the governor needs do is to apologize to the council chairmen and councillors whose tenure he cut short and involve every critical stakeholders, particularly the State House of Assembly, in implementing the verdict of the Supreme Court which he (Makinde) knows cannot be in his favour for obvious reasons”, the statement concluded.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday held a high-level strategic meeting with the Oyo State chapter of the party as part of efforts to reposition the APC for victory and prevent internal crisis ahead of the polls.
The development was first scooped by OYOINSIGHT.COM which quoted multiple party sources familiar with the closed-door deliberations.
Sources disclosed that the meeting, held in Abuja, focused largely on a consensus arrangement being considered by stakeholders of the party in Oyo State, in line with political templates reportedly being adopted in Lagos and Ogun states ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Party insiders said the move was aimed at strengthening unity within the fold of the opposition party in the state, minimising rancour during the primaries and presenting a formidable front against rival parties in 2027.
It was further gathered that some members of the state executive committee may have been subtly informed about preferred consensus candidates being considered for elective positions across the state.
Though details of the deliberations were still sketchy as of press time, sources hinted that the national leadership stressed the need for cohesion, discipline and strategic alignment among stakeholders to improve the party’s electoral fortunes in Oyo.
Those at the meeting included the Oyo APC Chairman, Moses Alake Adeyemo; the state secretary, Fatai Adesina Adeniyi; the Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare; the Organising Secretary, Aderemi Adepoju; and the Legal Adviser, Sunday Aborisade.
Others were the Women Leader, Adekemi Opatunde; the Youth Leader, Olalekan Oladejo; Joshua Oyebamiji; Tunde Oloyede; Sunday Babalola; Joseph Omoniyi; and Mojeed Adebayo.
As of the time of filing this report, the party had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, on Monday assured aspirants and party members that the party would conduct transparent, peaceful and credible direct primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo declared that no aspirant would be victimised or denied a level playing field, stressing that the party leadership remained committed to internal democracy and progressive ideals.
The former deputy governor spoke while receiving members of the APC Screening and Appeal Committees deployed from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja at the APC Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
He disclosed that although the party initially explored consensus arrangements across elective positions, prevailing realities indicated that direct primaries would be conducted in some areas, including the governorship contest.
Adeyemo said the party had already put necessary structures in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise capable of strengthening unity within the APC.
He said: “We set machineries in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option which is direct primary in certain cases including the governorship ticket.
“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair and credible exercise in all the affected areas even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.
“Where we have more than an aspirant, Abuja would send people to conduct primaries and we at the state level would provide the required support to make everything work out in the interest of our great party.”
The APC chairman explained that all registered party members would participate fully in the exercise at their respective wards on dates to be announced by the National Secretariat.
According to him, affirmation would be adopted in areas where consensus candidates emerge, while voting would be conducted wherever direct primaries become necessary.
“For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation while voting will be done in the cases of direct primary,” he added.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Screening Committee and former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Taofiq AbdusSalam, assured party faithful that the committee would carry out a thorough, transparent and unbiased screening process.
He said only eligible aspirants would be cleared to participate in the primaries and eventually fly the APC flag in the forthcoming elections.
Other members of the Screening Committee are Kamal Sanusi (Secretary), Smart Oluwole, Tunde Kolade and Olabamiji Agunloye.
Members of the Screening Appeal Committee are Jibola Oduwole (Chairman), Abimbola Jack (Secretary) and Jelil Jimoh.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress on Saturday zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, declaring that the party’s candidate would serve a single four-year term if elected.
The decision was reached during the party’s national convention held in Abuja amid growing momentum within the opposition platform following a wave of high-profile defections from other political parties.
Announcing the development on its official social media handle, the party stated, “NDC presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!”
The party also resolved that its 2031 presidential ticket would be ceded to Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to maintain regional balance and internal equity.
The convention comes as key opposition figures, including former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined party leaders and delegates at the Abuja gathering.
Saturday’s convention is expected to ratify several recent decisions taken by the party’s National Executive Committee, including zoning arrangements, amendments to the party constitution, and the election of new national executives.
According to the convention agenda obtained by journalists, discussions centred on zoning, ratification of the amended constitution, and leadership restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has in recent weeks witnessed a surge in defections from rival opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives defected from the ADC to the NDC.
Their defections were formally announced during plenary at the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The defections came barely two days after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the NDC from the ADC.
The duo were presented with the party’s membership cards last Sunday shortly after a closed-door meeting with party leaders.
A former Governor of Bayelsa State and NDC national leader, Seriake Dickson, officially welcomed the opposition figures into the party.
Obi had attributed his exit from the ADC to worsening internal crises, external interference and what he described as increasing hostility within party structures.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s political environment had become increasingly toxic, marked by intimidation, insecurity and sustained scrutiny of opposition figures.
He also lamented that institutions meant to protect citizens were now often deployed against them, while individuals committed to genuine public service faced mounting pressure both publicly and privately.
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