Politics
SENACO, LAMIST are creations of lazy people in Oyo APC – Morohunkola Thomas.
ALMOST two years to the next general elections in Nigeria; various political gladiators have engaged in serious political activities, especially to be in control of the internal organs of the existing political parties. The battle for the soul of the parties is becoming vigorous due to perceived fragment.
It is obvious that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State is currently undergoing such challenge as the party sharply divided into two major splinter groups, labeled LAMIST and SENACO. Members of the LAMIST group are said to be loyal to a former leader of the party in the state, late Lam Adesina.
While the SENACO members were those that worked with the incumbent governor, Abiola Ajimobi when he contested the governorship election of the state in 2007 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
However, the Executive Assistant on political matters to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Barrister Morohunkola Thomas in this interview with Mega Icon Magazine described the claims of loyalty to SENACO and LAMIST as a creation of lazy members of the party.
Excerpts:
Is it true that there is crisis in Oyo APC?
Crisis? I can’t see it.
Some people are accusing the governor of not running an all inclusive government, that party-government relationship is not cordial as it should be?
Who are the people in government here, are they not party members? You want to talk about the SENACO , LAMIST which is a figment of people’s imagination. People use that to corner things for themselves. In this government which Governor Ajimobi is a leader, the so called SENACO and LAMIST, have their members here but when people don’t get certain things they would say they lost it because they belong to SENACO or LAMIST.
If you are not popular within your local government, if you are not hardworking within the party and you are not recommended by your people, you may never get anything .The governor will never appoint somebody without due consultation and involvement of the leaders in the party , he is always waiting for recommendations of the leaders.
Take for instance, the newly appointed local government caretaker chairmen, the governor set up a selection and appointment committee made up of leaders from all the seven zones, these were the people that sat down to take nominations from the various local governments and made their recommendations to the governor. Many of the local government chairmen that were sworn in were never known personally by the governor so you have to go back to the local government, you have to work in your wards and local governments, forget about whether you are SENACO or you are LAMIST, those things don’t work again.
What is LAMIST? Those people that said they are following Lam Adesina, you don’t follow a dead person, and what is SENACO, they said Senator Ajimobi Campaign Organization, is Ajimobi a Senator ? He is a governor now so there is no Senator Ajimobi Campaign Organization again, that organization existed in 2003, the man stop being a Senator in 2007, he is a governor now and the governor has said this issue of SENACO, LAMIST is the creation of lazy people in the party, people who don’t have intimidating credentials that will make way for them, within the system and now hide under the fact that I didn’t get it because I am SENACO, or I got it because I am LAMIST, that is not true, those era of LAMISM, SENACOISM is gone in our party.
What about the claims that the governor is not in tune with majority of the party executives and members?
Well I don’t know about that. The party executives were elected into office at a congress in 2014 and by 2018 their time will be up, you have to come for re-election. Has this governor removed anybody from the executives? He hasn’t and some governors have dissolved the executives in their states, but governor Ajimobi has been magnanimous enough.
Remember, these executives that are in place now, he was not the one that put them there, he had the opportunity of changing them in 2014 but he did not do so, so there is no problem when the time comes for the new executives to be put there, if you are interested you can take a nomination form, you run for the election, if the people elect you so be it, Ajimobi will not be party chairman, he is the leader of the party.
But party members are worried about the new concept of Directorate which seems to be alien?
There is nothing alien about that, if you read the constitution of APC very well, it makes serious profound clearly stated provision for the establishment of Directorate in the party, as a matter of fact, the constitution state very clearly, unambiguously that the directors ought to run the party , its only the party secretary that is supposed to be running it with them, all other members of the executives should be coming once in a while, so what we are running now is not a constitutionally provided situation, it is the convention, a tradition.
The constitution says a director should be there . Let me tell you something, late Chief Owoade was the Director of Finance and Admin in the party, if there is a desire now to have more directors in line with position held by Chief Owoade, what is wrong with that? Don’t forget also, when we were in Alliance for Democracy (AD) Opeyemi Bamidele was our Director of Publicity in AD that time even though, we have a National Publicity Secretary.
It was from there that Opeyemi Bamidele becomes Commissioner for Information in Lagos state, go back to the UPN days, Chief Ebenezer Babatope was the Director of Organization for the UPN even though there was an Organising Secretary, and Chief Ajuluchukwu was the Director of Publicity for the party. So having directorate in the party is not alien, it is in the constitution, in the AD it was there, in the UPN it was there so if APC put it in the constitution it should be implemented.
Who are those eligible to be members of the said Directorate?
That depends on the leaders of the party but they have to be members of the party who are qualified in their various fields. For instance, if you want to be a director of finance in the party now you must be a qualified accounting officer and expert in financial matters, this is a modern party, we are not running NPN, we are running APC.
Aspirants are already claiming to have secured Ajimobi’s endorsement, as a political adviser to the governor, has the governor anointed any candidate?
Does it make sense for anybody in May 2017 to be anointing somebody that will take over in May 2019? You know he is in position, he is the governor, if anybody is saying that Ajimobi has endorsed anybody they are illiterates, those who says Ajimobi has thrown his weight behind anybody are political illiterates. I say that with all sense of responsibilities that they don’t know what they are saying.
Ajimobi has no anointed candidate, he has not told me, I have not seen it in his body language, it’s a level playing ground for everybody, many people will still join the race.
How would you react to the perceived crisis in your party as over 35 aspirants jostle for governorship ticket?
Very easy! There are pretenders to the throne. There are people who are coming out because they want to use it to negotiate, its all part of politicking and I want to say that in 2011 there are about 11 people who jostled for the same seat with Governor Ajimobi before he got it. So in 2019, somebody will get it, when we get to the bridge we shall cross it.
The lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of violence at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, describing claims that he assaulted a party member as false and politically motivated.
An online platform, IMPARTNEWSNETWORK, had alleged that Akinmoyede assaulted one Gafar Oyebade during a meeting convened by the state chairman of the party, Alake Adeyemo, to resolve issues surrounding the executive list of the APC in Lagelu Local Government Area.
However, Akinmoyede, in a statement on Tuesday, said the meeting was peaceful and attended by key members of the state executive, including the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary, who witnessed the proceedings.
He clarified that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the state leadership recognised him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to the lawmaker, following the clarification, the state executive directed the Lagelu Local Government chairman, Fatai Awoyoola, to proceed with the swearing-in of other party officials.
Akinmoyede also faulted attempts to link the incident with the 2019 killing of a former federal lawmaker, noting that a court of competent jurisdiction had already ruled on the matter.
He said, “In Suit No. I/70c/2019, delivered by Justice Mufutau Adegbola on January 23, 2020, all those accused were discharged and acquitted.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, alleging that Oyebade, a public school teacher under the Oyo State Government, should not be involved in partisan politics.
He described the allegation as a “recycled script” aimed at tarnishing his image ahead of political activities, urging constituents to remain calm.
Akinmoyede also called on journalists to verify information before publication and urged security agencies to take action against individuals who file false reports.
“These tactics surface every election cycle. Those behind them should learn to accept the outcomes of political processes. They failed before and will fail again. Power comes from God,” he added.
The lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of assault levelled against him by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagelu Local Government Area, Mr. Gafar Oyebade.
Akinmoyede described the allegation as “false” and “a lie taken too far,” insisting that no physical altercation occurred.
The denial was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Legislative Aide, Dr. Isiaq Akintunde.
Oyebade had alleged that he was hospitalised following a confrontation during a meeting held at the office of the state party chairman in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, convened to resolve a leadership dispute in the local government.
But the federal lawmaker maintained that the meeting was peaceful and attended by top party officials.
“The meeting was convened to clarify Mr. Oyebade’s position within the local executive, and it was attended by the State Party Chairman, his deputy, the secretary, the publicity secretary, and other key state executives, all of whom witnessed the peaceful proceedings,” the statement read.
He added that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the Lagelu Local Government Party Chairman, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, identified him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to Akinmoyede, the state executive thereafter directed Awoyoola to proceed with the swearing-in of the remaining members of the local government executive.
The lawmaker accused Oyebade of fabricating the allegation to advance political interests.
“I wonder why Mr. Gafar Oyebade, a secondary school teacher, would claim he was assaulted in the presence of the State Executive. This is an attempt to justify money allegedly collected from an aspirant to tarnish my image,” he said.
Akinmoyede further claimed that Oyebade was seen walking freely after the meeting and was not hospitalised as alleged.
He also raised concerns over Oyebade’s involvement in partisan politics, noting that civil servants are restricted from active participation in political activities.
The lawmaker called on security agencies and the media to investigate the incident at the party’s Oke-Ado office to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
Efforts to reach Oyebade for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has declared his intention to contest the Oyo South Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Oseni made his aspiration known during a high-level meeting with the Ibarapa APC Elders’ and Leaders’ Forum, comprising the G9 and the expanded G64 caucus, held at the party secretariat in Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, over the weekend.
The G9 and G64 groups consist of influential stakeholders drawn from Ibarapa East, Ibarapa Central, and Ibarapa North local government areas.
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker expressed appreciation to the forum for their support and confidence in his leadership and vision.
He said his ambition to represent Oyo South Senatorial District was anchored on a determination to consolidate and expand his record of performance.
Oseni said, “This aspiration is not built on mere rhetoric, but on the continuity and expansion of a proven track record of quality representation and grassroots-oriented governance.”
While soliciting the support of party leaders, he described his ambition as a divine call to serve the people with renewed dedication.
According to him, “This is not a time for self-glory but a sacred responsibility to intensify efforts towards real development, bring more relief to our people and ensure inclusive governance.”
He pledged not to betray the trust reposed in him by party elders and faithful, stressing that his aspiration is rooted in progressive ideals and a genuine commitment to the development of the district.
Oseni also urged leaders in the zone to mobilise support towards delivering one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
Speaking at the meeting, a leader from Ibarapa East, Chief Michael Morawo, lauded the lawmaker for delivering democratic dividends and strengthening the party structure. He added that Oseni has demonstrated commendable leadership through his performance, noting that his impact in stabilising the party within the constituency is evident.
Similarly, a former council chairman in Ibarapa Central, Chief Theophilus Adenrele, commended the lawmaker for not betraying the trust reposed in him. Also, a chieftain from Ibarapa North, Chief Francis Babalola, described Oseni as a humble leader committed to progressive ideals, dismissing speculations about his possible defection if he does not secure the governorship ticket.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the forum, Chief Timothy Jolaoso, said the lawmaker enjoys widespread grassroots acceptance that cuts across political divides.
Jolaoso said, “All indicators consistently point to Oseni as a candidate with acceptance that transcends party lines. He is not only capable but a man of deep faith with proven empathy for the downtrodden.”
He added, “He possesses the goodwill, financial strength, and public trust required for leadership.”
The elder statesman further noted that Oseni’s performance in the House of Representatives, alongside his role as Chairman of the FERMA Committee, underscores his competence and commitment to development.
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