Professor Aderemi Ajala, a former special adviser to Rt Hon Lasun Yussuff has described the victory of the Prince Gboyega Famodun-led State Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State as a call to collective build the party.
Ajala, in a statement obtained by InsightMedia in Osogbo on Wednesday, said the development call for a joyous celebration. The statement read;
“This is a big victory for the party and a call to collectively build party leadership in All Progressives Congress in Osun state.
“While it may sometimes take long time for lies to crash, but when lies crash, it is so irretrievably to the extent that the crash comes with ridicules and shames. Frankly speaking the determination of the case against the 2021 Ward, Local and State Congresses held in All Progressives’ Congress (APC) by the High Court in Osogbo on February 2nd, 2022 comes with victory and joy for Osun APC. The case challenging the validity of the congresses was dismissed based on lack of jurisdiction, suggesting that the congresses held remain valid against the contestation of the plaintiff (The Osun Progressives).
“While I am yet to read the details of the judgement, I quickly congratulate Prince Gboyega Famodun whose job as the authentic chairman of our party is saved from judicial ridicules and embarrassment. I equally congratulate all other members of the APC state executive council, and their colleagues both at the Wards and Local government levels.
“Factionalization of APC in Osun state is something that worries me. This is not because I see any capacity or victory to be earned by the factional group calls The Osun Progressives (TOP), but I could see the level of party indiscipline disparaging the party before the public at a time the party is preparing for 2022 election.
The crisis was so deep that made the internal opposition in APC stronger than inter- party opposition in the state for no known rational cause(s). No one knows any cogent reason that could have caused the factionalization, other than we worked and not compensated. But we have all forgotten that governorship project is a big one that accommodates more than who can be compensated. Everybody worked and not all can be compensated the same way.
Considering how assiduously we all worked for the victory of the party in 2018 election irrespective of our political mandates, we should be able to tolerate whatever becomes the outputs of our efforts and work together to build a collective leadership. I know some people would asked me what I did then, since I was in opposing camp within the party, against Governor Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola at that time. But remember, before the campaign started for that election our party was at the verge of no recognition across the state. It was the campaign train of my then political mandate that woke up the interest in our party through our strategic consultation across the local political gladiators.
Through that efforts which I coordinated across the state, we breath lives and infused energy in APC and the party was reactivated and became active with meetings holding everywhere. To God be the glory that my mandate lost out but we since then have a complete gentleman as our governor. I mean Governor Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola who has remained highly prudent, focused and result-oriented in his projects delivery.
With the current achievements made by his Excellency Governor Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola, we should put our vigours and energy together and collectively support him as the current leader of our party. Allow him the ticket to run the second term at least based on the policy of right of first refusal, which he has not expressed. What is then desirable for us as a party is to forget our individual loss of appointment and intensify our spirit for another turn while we must work for the success of the present government.
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However, with the determination of the case, I think our party gladiators should come back to the round table and rework the reconciliation effort. One would say why reconciling with group that took the party to court. Of course no wars has ever been fought without reconciliation at the round table. I guess that what TOP did was to test its strength. With the loss, I think by now TOP has to recognize that it would be better to work together as a single political group rather than further sustaining the faction. I plead with Prince Gboyega Famodun the authentic Chairman of the party to kindly see the legal victory as another window of opportunity to embrace all irrespective of the past in the party. May his reign fulfils the re-election of His Excellency Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola for the second term in July 2022 election.
