Oyo APC and endless internal conflicts

About five weeks away from the general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) of Oyo State is heading to the polls with a seriously diminished and depleted electoral force. It is a drop in the crisis that has been eating away at the party since the congress that produced the party's candidates for the various positions; from the House of Assembly, the House of Representatives, from the senatorial to the standard bearer of the governorate.

The convention has left many diehard progressives and party loyalists disenchanted due to their perception of how the conventions were conducted. The aggrieved party members moved on to others, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Accord Party (AP). For those who decided to stay behind, it was a "siddon" look with a lukewarm attitude toward the party's fortunes in the upcoming gubernatorial elections.

However, in the fold of those who remain in the APC, it is a unanimous decision to work for the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party's presidential flag bearer. Needless to say, many progressive groups, associations, factions, individuals including some opposition members are working towards the realization of the presidency of Tinubu in Oyo State.

Particularly active in this regard is Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, wife of the former Governor of Oyo State, whose late husband, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, was a friend and loyalist of the APC presidential candidate. This probably explains the efforts Ms. Ajimobi made to work diligently for Tinubu to win based on her tenure after the inauguration of the women's wing of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Committee a few months ago in Abuja. < /p>

Ms. Ajimobi, who is the Oyo State Coordinator, began the task by opening an office for the Oyo Tinubu/Shettima State Women's Presidential Campaign (OTISHE) in the building that housed formerly the APC State Secretariat after a visit to the new party secretariat, where she met the women's group.

The Secretariat was declared open by the President of the State Party, Hon. Isaac Omodewu accompanied by the State Leader, Ms. Tinu Adigun, former APC Deputy National Youth Leader, Hon. Hafiz Bolaji Repete, Member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tolu Akande-Shadipe, a former Member of Representatives, Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo, a Member of Oyo State Assembly, Hon. Seyi Adisa, among others.

As part of a well-conceptualized strategic campaign plan to be implemented in stages with the key objective of rallying support for the APC in the run-up to the general elections, the OTISHE Coordinator recently took the campaign Renewed Hope and Tinubu for the President's Gospel to Critical Stakeholders. She met with CAN leaders at their secretariat and held meetings with various Muslim women's associations, as well as market men and women in Oyo State.

Notwithstanding, his efforts and support for the party and Tinubu's presidential ambition have not had a positive impact in reducing the escalating crisis in Oyo APC. At the start of the crisis, she had brought together all the different stakeholders to break the deadlock. The meeting, held at his home in Oluyole, was attended by the Unity Group faction, the Ajimobi Legacy Forum (ALF), the Teslim Folarin faction and party elders.

At the end of the meeting, a committee to examine the various conflicting issues was inaugurated. The committee met and came up with what were considered acceptable solutions to the crisis. However, as one of the members said, it was a waste of everyone's time, as the Folarin faction was unwilling to give in, but only agreed to the meeting to buy time.

Also last week, Senator Folarin's loyalists continued their attacks on Ms. Ajimobi, accusing her of working against party interests. This surprised some party supporters who had followed his efforts to secure peace within the party and sell the APC agenda to various state stakeholders. One said: "What is shocking to most of us is that with the election just weeks away, the Folarin group continued to fan the embers of discord instead of engage in activities aimed at appeasing all those who felt aggrieved by the illegality that accompanied the emergence of all APC candidates who were selected by Folarin.”

In their indictment, the Folarin group said that Ms. Ajimobi, during her meeting with members of the Oyo State branch of CAN, Muslim women and market leaders, distributed flyers of the candidate for the governorship of Accord, Adebayo Adelabu and a senatorial aspirant, Kolapo Kola-Daisi, other candidates for the National Assembly and the State House of Assembly of the Accord.

What they failed to note was that in all of her meetings with these groups, the APC leaders in the state always accompanied her. The meeting with CAN was present, APC State Chairman, Hon. Isaac Omodewu, the leader of women, Mrs. Tinu Adigun, former stat...