Big Loss for APC as Buhari Ministers' Loyalists Announce Defection
- On Saturday and Sunday, March 26 & 27, the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress held its national convention at the Eagles Square in Abuja and new officers were elected
- Barely twenty-four hours after the event, the crisis in Osun and Kwara states took a new turn as Rauf Aregbesola's allies, same with Lai Mohammed's allies dumped the ruling party
- Meanwhile, this is as various factions of the party in other states have decided to challenge the victory of some elected officers at the just concluded national convention
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in at least 12 states has not abated despite the conclusion of the party’s national convention and the charge by President Muhammadu Buhari, for unity.
The Punch reports that the reconciliation committee headed by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who is now the chairman of the party, had yet to submit its full report as only an interim report had been handed over to the APC.
It would be recalled that there were 208 ongoing court cases in different parts of the country by aggrieved APC members.
Source: Facebook
However, with many of the cases being concluded, some losers have now begun dumping the party, while others are now engaged in talks with the Peoples Democratic Party.
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Kwara state
In Kwara state, it was gathered that members of the APC faction led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had removed the party’s flag from their secretariat. A visit to the factional secretariat on 26 Abdulrazaq Road, Flower Garden, GRA, Ilorin, revealed that members had deserted the building.
A member of the state House of Assembly representing the Ojomu/Balogun Constituency in the Offa Local Government Area, Saheed Popoola, who is a leading member of the Lai Mohammed faction, announced his defection to the Social Democratic Party on the floor of the Assembly last week.
In a chat with the news outlet on Monday, March 28, the faction said it had exited the APC.
The publicity secretary of the APC faction elected at the parallel congress organised by the group, Ibrahim Sharafadeen, disclosed this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents.
Osun state
In Osun state, Abiodun Agboola, publicity secretary of the APC faction backed by the minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said members of the group would wait for the court to decide a matter it instituted challenging Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s eligibility, which is before an Abuja court.
Agboola disclosed that the group had no plans to defect from the APC.
He, however, declared that the group would pursue the matter of Oyetola’s eligibility to stand as the governorship candidate of the APC to a logical conclusion.
He stated:
“We are not moving to any party and we are not talking to any party whatsoever. We remain members of the APC. The national convention has come and gone. Officers have emerged and they have been sworn in.”
PDP move
But a former deputy national publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr Diran Odeyemi, said the opposition party in Osun state would be interested in negotiating with the APC faction backed by Aregbesola.
Odeyemi, an associate of the Osun PDP governorship flag bearer, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who observed that negotiations should not be ruled out ahead of the poll, added that his party would reach out to all those opposed to Oyetola in the APC, since they had been ostracised by the APC.
He contended that the crises in the Osun APC would be leveraged upon by the PDP to have a good outing in the governorship poll.
Osun 2022: Aregbesola's hometown's monarch backs Oyetola
In another development, the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Aromolaran, has openly declared his support for the re-election of Oyetola as the governor of Osun state for a second term.
The monarch said the entire Ijesa people are behind Governor Oyetola's second term bid. Oba Aromolaran made the remarks when the Osun state governor visited his palace during a strategic engagement tour to Ijesa-South Federal Constituency on Wednesday, February 16.
Meanwhile, Oba Aromolaran who is the traditional ruler of the hometown of Aregbesola said whoever he pronounces as governor will become one, saying it is a divine gift.
Prominent aspirant withdraws from PDP governorship primary in Osun
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, an aspirant seeking the governorship ticket of the PDP in Osun state withdrew from the exercise.
Ogunbiyi announced his withdrawal from the primary on Monday, March 7, at his Idera De Campaign Office in Osogbo, the Osun state capital.
The aspirant said he withdrew from the contest because of the alleged bias of the PDP national chairman, Senator Iyorcha Ayu.
Source: Legit.ng
