A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, Asiwaju Rotimi Ajanaku, has described as a lie, the claim by the chairman of the state chapter, Chief Akin Oke, that there is no crisis in the party.
Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the state capital, Ajanaku said the statement of the chairman was a reflection of his insensitivity to the problems affecting the stability of the party in the state.
His words: “The chairman’s statement shows insincerity and insensitivity to the plights of the aggrieved party members. It’s unfair to the feelings and emotions of those who have contributed in no small ways to the survival and stability of the party in the state from its formative years.
“Can we afford to lose all the party members and loyalists who are currently not with the party and still win elections in 2023? Can future elections be won for the party by the few individuals or opportunists who have benefited and still benefitting from the party? Haven’t those marginalised and unjustly skimmed out at the party’s various primaries that preceded 2019 general elections rights to express grievances and displeasure?
“Perhaps I should remind the chairman that shortly after 2019 elections when the party first made a move to reconcile its members, the leadership of the party under the authority of the late Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi promised to ensure that those affected by the irregularities that characterized 2019 primaries would be compensated with various appointments. Can the chairman mention or list the names of those who have so been compensated?”
He added: “Should we forget in a hurry how the party was built and formed? Was it not through collective contributions of everyone, especially some of the people we see today as enemies of the party? I think progressivism is a political philosophy in support of social reform; so shouldn’t there be internal social reform?
“If progressive is said to be a social or political movement that aims to represent the interests of ordinary people through political change and the support of government actions, so why would some people turn the party to secret organisations that is established to serve only their selfish interest. That’s why they continue to recycle themselves by fencing out others? Ajanaku questioned.
“In fact, every progressive policy promotes greater freedom, opportunity, or security for everyone. That’s the distinction between progressive and others. While progressive seeks to extend freedom, opportunity, and security to all, others work to limit freedom, opportunity, and security; they redistribute wealth toward the wealthy, power toward the powerful, and privilege toward the privileged, unfortunately that’s the ideology of the type of progressive we inculcate into our party today,” he lamented.
He said, “Whereas, the dreams of the founding fathers of our great party, All Progressive Congress (APC) were great, both for us as members and citizens of Nigeria. It’s about a poor child delivering newspapers and one day ending up as the publisher. It’s about an unskilled worker attending night school and becoming a successful manager. It is getting ahead through hard work, and being able to retire in security and comfort.
“To me, as a progressive party, our mission is clear. It is to guarantee that all members are able to realise their goals through hard work, commitment and fair play. The party must provide every person, not just the privileged, with an equal opportunity to pursue a better life, equal access to the individuals’ dreams.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all members are equal, we all are endowed by the party’s constitution with certain unalienable rights; among these are liberty to contest for any position under free and fair election process, contribute to the development and progress of the party and the pursuit of happiness, which could come in form of political appointment.”
