The crisis rocking the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has taken a new dimension as some stalwarts of the party were absent at the peace meeting held last weekend and presided over by a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.
A 16-man reconciliation committee inaugurated by the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi to reconcile aggrieved members of the party, on Saturday invited some members to a peace meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The meeting was called by the chairman of the committee, Alao-Akala and Secretary, Prince Gbade Lana, to reconcile the aggrieved members and settle all the crisis in the party.
It was however learnt on Sunday that some strong stakeholders among whom are former and current ministers, commissioners, lawmakers and other stalwarts of the party were absent.
While some of those absent claimed they were not invited, a top member of the peace committee said the claim was not true.
Those who were not at the peace meeting included the Minister for Youth and Sport, Mr. Sunday Dare; immediate past Deputy Governor, Moses Alake-Adeyemo; immediate past Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu and a former Chief of Staff to late Ajimobi, Prof. Adeolu Akande.
Others are former Deputy Governor to former Governor Lamidi Adesina, Iyiola Oladokun; Yunus Akintunde; Fatai Ibikunle; Bayo Adewusi; Adesoji Akanbi, and Ayo Adeseun.
Also on the list are Asiwaju Rotimi Ajanaku; Dapo Lam-Adesina; Abiodun Olasupo; Taiwo Michael Akintola; Sunbo Olugbemi; Sunday Adepoju; Akeem Agbaje; Ayodeji Kareem; Isiaka Alimi; Ajiboye Omodewu; Goke Oyetunji and other prominent members of the party.
A chieftain of the party, Asiwaju Rotimi Ajanaku, while speaking with journalists through his media aide, Mr. Adebowale Adeoye, in Ibadan on Monday, said he was surprised a meeting was held on Saturday without extending invitation to all aggrieved members.
He said: “Ajanaku was never invited to the meeting by the reconciliation committee. In fact he was surprised that the reconciliation committee could sideline him and other stalwarts of the party. The only APC meeting he was invited to was the one called by the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare on Friday.
“Dare said that the meeting was called towards strengthening our party in Oyo State. But, unfortunately after contacting some stakeholders and he (Ajanaku) discovered that some strong stakeholders were not invited and it was not called by the reconciliation committee, then he became sceptical and decided not to attend the Friday meeting.
“Eventually he was right not to have attended the Friday’s meeting having discovered that same minister was absent at the Saturday meeting called by the so called reconciliation committee. Ajanaku would have been seen as working against peace and reconciliation in the party.
“The absence of the key stakeholders at the meeting shows that APC is still in crisis. Why was Ajanaku ignored? Is it because of his bluntness, outspokenness or zero tolerance for impunity and unfairness. Asiwaju is ready for nothing but sincere and genuine reconciliation.
“As for Asiwaju Rotimi Ajanaku, he won’t stay in any party where peace, equity and fairness are not embraced. He is not a desperate politician. His interest is to serve his people by supporting laws and policies that would influence masses’ lives positively.”
In a similar development, one of the members of the party, who preferred anonymity, said the meeting held last Saturday was dominated by those who benefitted from the impunity of the last party primaries of the party, describing some of them as parasites living on their host without making any good commitment to the party.
“Imagine those who only live on the party, since the party loss the governorship election in the state, what have they contributed. Yet they were at the meeting blaming those who left the party due to series of unfairness and impunity suffered at the last party primaries.
“One would have expected the so called reconciliation committee to caution them. Do they have the ability to win election for the party? They are only waiting to be granted another undeserved opportunity to fly the flags of the party,” he said.
But in his reaction, the secretary of the reconciliation committee, Prince Gbade Lana, said invitations were sent to everyone that matter in the party, insisting that whoever stated he or she was not invited to the meeting was being economical with the truth.
While noting that the committee was out for genuine reconciliation, he said the calibre of those that attended the meeting showed that those who belonged to the two prominent factions within the party were invited to the meeting.
He said: “Those who are saying that they were not invited to the meeting held at the residence of Otunba Alao-Akala are not sincere, as the secretary of the committee, I issued invitations to all the stakeholders and the attendance that day showed that the committee is in on course.
“I can only appeal to genuine members of the APC in the state to support the reconciliation committee so that the party can be united to face the 2023 elections.”
