The fall of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State at the governorship election held last Saturday has revealed a glaring picture of the many other failures that could befall the party if nothing urgent is done to salvage the situation.
This, party officials confirmed to Huhuonline.com on Friday evening, is the reason the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has decided to face the task of reconciling all aggrieved members of the party who cut across most of the states controlled by the party.
Oyegun, during a courtesy visit to the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in Benin on Friday, made the promise to bring all angry members of the party back to the fold.
“I am already meeting with all those who were disgruntled after my election to ensure that the party remained united,” Oyegun said.
“I left here as simple, plain John Oyegun and I have come back as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress. I ascribe this to the wonderful support that I have received from all of you. We have been done a great honour in Edo State. One of us has been chosen to do a very, very challenging task as the very first elected executive of the APC, the party that is the government in waiting. It is a great challenge for us here in Edo State. I was very glad when I was received at the party’s secretariat.”
But he said he noticed some faces that had had cause to be upset at a lot of things that happened. Yet he noticed that those people were all there to join the welcome party. He expressed belief that such gesture signifies that the healing process is already underway.
“I offer myself to do whatever can be done to bring peace, harmony, acceptance and harmony to the party in Edo State. This is because we are now in the eye of the storm; they have given us the responsibility to guide the party to victory,” Oyegun said, while urging state leadership of the party to emulate his steps.
Oshiomhole agreed that Oyegun’s emergence was the beginning of the healing process.
“I am happy that you have reached out to people who for one reason or the other had feelings that need to be managed,” he said.
Top party sources told Huhuonline.com that the party has seen a reason to start serious work ahead of the 2015 general elections.
“Some of these states where the party needs to urgently work include Edo, Imo, Oyo, and Ogun,” a party chieftain in Lagos said.
“This is apart from those at the national level of the party who are seriously angry with the conduct of the congresses and convention. One of such figures is Tom Ikimi and you know what he means to our party.”
In Edo State, the governor has been having a running battle with prominent politicians in the APC. As a result, many of them have left the party for the rival Peoples Democratic Party.
The crisis came to a head in the state when the governor was alleged to have planted his loyalists as executive members of the party during the state congress. The matter became a major bone of contention, resulting in the political crisis which has engulfed the state House of Assembly.
In the case of Ikimi, the top politician is not happy with the party for relegating him after he succeeded in the deliberations and persuasions that led to the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) with other parties like the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Congress for Political Change (CPC).
In Imo State, Governor, Rochas Okorocha, is facing a lot of controversies including the allegation that he had turn himself into a god-father whose activities are becoming uncontrollable.
Oyo State, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, though doing well, is facing the risk of what Governor Kayode Fayemi faced at the polling booths in his state recently.
“He is very far from the people, there have been no good relationship. Remember this was why Fayemi failed in the election,” the chieftain said.
The case between Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his erstwhile benefactor, Olusegun Osoba, has caused apprehension among party members. Osoba and his loyalists including members of the House or Representatives and senators had boycotted the national convention and vowed to fight Amosun till the end while promising to remain in the APC.
Political watchers say this is a dangerous dimension to the politics of the state and it could cost the governor his career in the long run especially if the opposition parties in the state could get their acts right.
“As it is now, the national leadership of the party has a lot of work to do and we are trying to ensure that whatever is to be done is done with all sense of urgency,” the party stalwart said.
