Cracks in Ondo chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) widen with Professor Omoleye Daramola’s nomination as Minister from the State, Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, reports.
There seems to be no end in sight on the crisis rocking the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). If anything, the gulf in the party, seems to be widening with the build-up to 2016 governorship election date in the state.
By the last count last week, it was gathered that the party had broken into four different factions.
Recall that the party has been embroiled in series of crisis, ranging from allegations of campaign fund mismanagement, autocratic leadership by the state chairman, as well as power tussle among chieftains of the party, leading to factionalisation of the State Executive Council (SEC) members, among many others.
The issue in the current regime of controversy, is the nomination of Professor Omoleye Daramola as a ministerial nominee from the state against the game plan of the leadership and chieftains of the party.
This confusion, our reporter learnt, has led to the suspension of the party’s Publicity Secretary Abayomi Adesanya over his press release commending President Muhammadu Buhari over Daramola’s nomination.
Some groups had preferred Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, for the nomination to Daramola who they considered as alien in the state’s politics.
At an emergency meeting of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party, the issue of Adesanya was raised and discussed.
The statement issued on his suspension was signed by the state secretary of the party, Rahman Rotimi, and Youth leader, Omolayo Babalola. Another statement was however issued to the contrary, indicating that Adesanya remained the party’s spokesman.
The grouse against the publicity secretary was that his reaction was contrary to the stand of the Party on the nomination of Daramola.
A source noted that the nominee was picked by Bisi Akande, former Osun governor and erstwhile interim national chairman of APC. Daramola is said to have been his ardent ally since Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) era of the defunct second republic.
The Source said, “At the beginning of the meeting, you would know that the issue of the Publicity Secretary was the basis of the emergency meeting.
“The chairman was so bitter that the Publicity Secretary commended President Buhari over the choice of Prof. Daramola. He believed that the Professor was a wrong choice.
“But some of us imagined how it became wrong for the Publicity Secretary to commend what the President has done in choosing Prof. Daramola.”
Curiously, Adesanya said he had not received any correspondence suspending him from office, adding that the SWC has no such powers to suspend an officer, hence he would not comment on the matter.
TheNiche, however, learnt that a committee had been set up to look into the matter and had mandated Adesanya to appear before it.
A statement by the party had among other things, remarked, “The State Working Committee also noted the continuing gross misconduct of the state Publicity Secretary and therefore, unanimously suspended him from office and set up a disciplinary committee to look into his activities which have of recent embarrassed the party.”
However, while commenting on the party’s social media platform, Ondo Next Governor, a chieftain of the party in Ondo, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, posted: “APC Constitution does not allow discipline before fact-finding that allows fair hearing.
“Moreover the grounds for discipline are set out in the Constitution which in my view exclude whatever ground the Ondo State now uses.
“The chairman of the party is a lawyer. He should be true to his profession. The other issue is this.
“We must ask whether those who complain about the congratulatory message also lobbied to be minister.
“If they do, how are we sure they are not reacting to President’s decision to pick a neutral gentleman who did not lobby for office?
“The exco should tell us how the Publicity Secretary embarrassed the Party by his forward looking comments on political affairs in the State please.”
On the same platform, another chieftain of the party, Kunle Eko Davies, said, “In my own view the purported suspension of the publicity secretary is more embarrassing than the forward looking statement of Adesanya.
“It is either the executive is not on the same page with our party or there exists a ministerial lobbyist among the exco.
“Professor Daramola, a perfect gentleman is well known to us in the progressive family.”
In his reaction, a House of Representatives member, Stephen Olemija, insisted that there are no crises or factions whatsoever in Ondo APC, adding that the party is getting stronger by the day.
According to him, members of the APC are more united now because “we know that united we can stand to take over power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state”.
He added: “There are no factions or crisis in our party. What we are witnessing is that some supporters are seen supporting a particular candidate or they want their candidate to emerge for a particular position or post. That is what some people term as factionalisation. It is normal in politics and I can assure you that all members are back on the track to work hard for the success of the 2016 governorship elections in the state.
“Our aims is to take over the state from PDP and we have machinery in place now on how to field credible candidate for the governorship elections in the state. I am confident that come 2016, APC will win massively and enthrone good governance in Ondo State.”
