Following the non release of elected delegates nomination forms by the factional Ogun State APC secretariat, four of the governorship aspirants and thirty four other aspirants in different categories have written to the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu protesting the manipulation of the process by a section of the party loyal to Governor Dapo Abiodun.
In the letter signed by Biyi Otegbeye, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, Adekunle Akinlade and Dunni Opayemi, the governorship aspirants and others said potential delegates perceived to be loyal to other aspirants were not issued delegates forms despite presentation of payment tellers for same.
Only handpicked party members who are deemed loyal to the governor were issued delegates forms, and despite several protests by members at the state party secretariat, and despite letters to the factional APC Chairman by different groups, sham delegates “congresses” were said to have been held in Ogun state on Wednesday, where the charade was legitimised.
The aspirants therefore called on the National secretariat of the party to conduct direct primaries and send independent and credible arbiters to conduct the primaries in Ogun state in order to ensure the real voices of the people are heard and credible and acceptable candidates are elected to confront the fledgling opposition party in the State.
This reporter recalls that Ogun State APC is highly polarised with at least three different factions : the Ibikunle Amosun faction, the Gbenga Daniel faction and the Olusegun Osoba- led faction which the governor has apparently emasculated and which, according to disenchanted party members, has become a department in the Governor’s office.
It will also be recalled that several letters had been written to the APC National Secretariat and INEC about the goings on in Ogun State APC. In one of the letters earlier written to the party and sighted by this reporter, a potential delegate from Ijebu North, Comrade Femi Nuberu had called the shenanigans by Governor Abiodun and his enablers in the party, a great disservice to our fragile democracy
Echoing the frustration of other party members, the potential delegate had written:
“As loyal party members, we have paid into the designated account of our party for the purchase of delegate form and this is with the approval of the Congress of our ward. We got to our state party secretariat yesterday but was shocked to be confronted with unnecessary pranks. They pointedly informed us that the forms are not available for us.”
