The seven-man Ward Congress Committee despatched to Ekiti State by the All Progressives Congress Caretaker Chairman and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni, yesterday called on stakeholders to embrace consensus in the party’s interest.
They insisted that consensus remains the best option that can unite various interests in the party for a common goal.
The Committee headed by Alhaji Shittu Galambi has Hon. Omowunmi Olatunji , Hon. Mohammed Bamanga, Hon. Mohammed Ndanusa, Hon. Naomi Awake, Prof. Okey Onyejekwe and Comr. Bello Osaretin, as members.
Addressing journalists at the APC’s Secretariat, in Ado Ekiti, after distributing election materials to all the 177 wards, the Committee’s Chairman, Alhaji Shittu Galambi, said he conveyed the message of Governor Buni to all stakeholders that consensus should be adopted in party’s interest.
Galambi, however, clarified that the party and stakeholders are at liberty to conduct a direct mode of an election where a consensual agreement fails among contenders.
“We have distributed materials across all the 177 wards and we got the full support of all relevant stakeholders. The process has been crisis-free.
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“Most importantly, we communicated the message of our National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee that they should adopt consensus and where that fails, there will be a direct mode of primary.
“Let me also say that we have not received any complaint from any of the stakeholders. Allowing peace and unity is in our party’s interest as loyal members”, Galambi said.
Meanwhile, a member of the State Working Committee, who craved anonymity told journalists, on Saturday, that the party had adopted consensus majorly before the arrival of the Committee from the national.
He stated that virtually all the members across 177 wards adopted consensus with less than 10 advocating for elections, which he said was being sorted out to allow for consensual arrangement.
“We are having less stress here in Ekiti because we adopted consensus and it is paying off.
“There were less than 10 wards that could not reach consensus but the leaders in those areas are engaging in serious horsetrading and I believe that will be of help.
“Majorly, we are not having a serious problem here in Ekiti and the process has been hitch-free”, he said.
However, the Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, had a few days ago launched a serious tirade against the loyalists of Governor Kayode Fayemi, accusing them of hijacking the process.
Ojudu in his complaint alleged that those perceived to be loyal to Fayemi under the brand ‘Fayemi Tokan Tokan’, were depriving other groups outside theirs of access to forms to contest for any of the ward executives.
The APC State Publicity Secretary, Hon Ade Ajayi, had, however, branded the accusation as spurious and baseless, saying all the tendencies within the party were being accorded respect and unfettered access to procure forms and contest where consensus fails.
(Vanguard)
