Aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State protested against the ceding of political appointments meant for party members to non-party members by the party leadership.
The protesters received the National Chairman, Alhaji Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, at the Party Secretariat in Ibadan on Tuesday and described the development as unacceptable.
They criticised the appointment of the Governorship candidate of ACCORD, who was a former member of the party, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, as Minister of Power and the presence of ACCORD members at the gathering.
They clarified that the protest was not aimed at the National Chairman but at some members of ACCORD who were in attendance.
During the protest, one of the aggrieved members smashed the window glass of a coaster bus belonging to the APC South West Secretariat, sustaining a deep cut in his hand.
In his address, the State Chairman of the party, Isaac Omodewu, earlier complained about the marginalisation of his members in the sharing of political offices.
He mentioned, “As events that heralded the last general elections are still fresh in our memory, we must inform you that Oyo APC remains an unsung hero because we got little support but delivered beyond expectations. In spite of the fact that we had no sitting governor in Oyo, electioneering was quite challenging as we had to face a lot of hostilities.
“As it stands today, we are not getting fair treatment, but we remain hopeful that things will change for the better. For record purposes, we did not only win all three available senatorial seats and nine out of the 14 House of Representatives seats; we wrapped it up with a massive 449,884 votes for our presidential candidate, only for us to be victims overnight.
“However, we are not ready to lose focus as a progressive family. We intensify efforts to reconcile all our former members who left in the wake of the last general election, and we shall not leave any stone unturned to achieve our goal of a stronger, better, and more virile Oyo APC very soon.”
He further informed, “I want to inform you that we are undertaking some important reforms, which we would like you to know. One is that we have introduced electronic registration for our party members. When it is time, you will be invited individually for the electronic registration, including biometric capture.
“Second, we have said that our party will be active throughout the year. Because of that, all the offices must be habitable. They must be renovated and decorated, right from ward level to the local government level and zonal level down to the state. Also, the offices must be functional and operational.
There should be frequent meetings in our offices so that you will engage yourselves in the recruitment of new members into the party. That is how to be a party man. That is how to make the party official. That is how to keep the party alive.
“Also, we would like to inform you that our party will introduce some competitions among state chapters, and we shall see those state chapters that are active. We will provide them with national awards, presidential awards, vice presidential awards, and then national chairman awards.
“We have heard how much you tried in the last general elections. Thank you for electing our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We thank you for voting for senators, members of the House of Representatives, and some members of the state House of Assembly.
“We know there are different factions in the party through our investigation. We believe you are strong, and we have seen that you are strong. But you will be stronger if you come together. If you come together, you will be much stronger, so that the government of Oyo State will be in your hands, Insha Allah.”
Meanwhile, the National Chairman had earlier said in his statement, “I want to inform you that we are undertaking some important reforms, which we would like you to know. One is that we have introduced electronic registration for our party members. When it is time, you will be invited individually for the electronic registration, including biometric capture.
“Second, we have said that our party will be active throughout the year. Because of that, all the offices must be habitable. They must be renovated and decorated, right from ward level to the local government level and zonal level down to the state. Also, the offices must be functional and operational.
There should be frequent meetings in our offices so that you will engage yourselves in the recruitment of new members into the party. That is how to be a party man. That is how to make the party official. That is how to keep the party alive.
“Also, we would like to inform you that our party will introduce some competitions among state chapters, and we shall see those state chapters that are active. We will provide them with national awards, presidential awards, vice presidential awards, and then national chairman awards.
“We have heard how much you tried in the last general elections. Thank you for electing our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We thank you for voting for senators, members of the House of Representatives, and some members of the state House of Assembly.
“We know there are different factions in the party through our investigation. We believe you are strong, and we have seen that you are strong. But you will be stronger if you come together. If you come together, you will be much stronger, so that the government of Oyo State will be in your hands, Insha Allah.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
God said you must not marry more wives, Gbile Akanni warns new Soun of Ogbomosho
Founder of Peace House, Bro Gbile Akanni has sent a stern warning to the newly installed Soun of…
How Nigeria can work again, Adebanjo, others speak
Some of the critical issues that engaged the leaders, one of whom was among…
We’ve not lifted visa ban on Nigeria — UAE
The United Arab Emirates has contradicted claims by the Nigerian government that it is to lift a year-long visa ban on…
Five ways to cope with September floods
September is the month for heavy rainfall. Already, there are alerts from government agencies on likely flooding between…
#BBNaijaAllStars: Kim Oprah predicts top 3 finalists
Evicted Big Brother Naija house guest, Kim Oprah has predicted the finalists for the ongoing ‘All Stars’ edition of…
LALIGA unveils vision for Africa, introduces new managing director
LALIGA, the world-renowned Spanish football league, took a significant stride towards its commitment to Africa by…
