Kolade Larewaju
ALLEGED imposition by some leaders of the African Democratic Congress [ADC] in Oyo State is threatening to tear the party apart with one of the groups in the party already on its way to the Action Democratic Party [ADP]
Specifically, some members of the party are accusing former Oyo State Governor, Chief Rashidi Ladoja and a former Secretary to the State Government in the Lam Adesina administration, Chief Michael Koleosho of imposing their loyalists and cronies as State and Local Government Executives
They accused Ladoja of decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] into the party only to cause problem with his plans to foist his own people on the party which they said he has successfully done with the State Exco but would be resisted for the Local Governments
Oyo ADC, newdawnngr learnt, comprises old ADC members, a break away faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress [APC], known as Unity Forum, and some stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] who were led to the party by the ex-governor, Senator Ladoja.
The APC breakaway faction according to a chieftain of the party have therefore resolved to move again to the ADP
The duo of Ladoja and Koleosho were alleged to have hijacked the whole structure of the party by imposing their right-hand men as key executive members of the party. This decision made some key members of the Unity Forum who dumped APC to join ADC to boycott the state congress which was held on Tuesday.
Some of the party executive members allegedly imposed by the duo of Ladoja and Koleoso were said to include: Chief Michael Adedokun Adegbite, Mr. Wasiu Emiola, Engineeer Akeem Olatunji and Adekola Adeoye, who emerged as Chairman, Secretary, Public Relations Officer [PRO] and youth leader of the party respectively at the state congress of the party held in Ibadan on Tuesday evening.
Adegbite, who hails from Iwajowa local government area in Oke Ogun geopolitical zone of the state, was said to have been nominated by the former SSG, Chief Koleoso. Adegbite, had served as PDP chairman during the administration of Ladoja as governor of the state.
Koleosho, who hails from Saki, is from the same geopolitical zone with Adegbite, while Emiola, Olatunji and Adeoye are from Ibadan, the same city as Ladoja. Emiola is from Ibadan North local government area, the same local government where Ladoja’s Ondo street residence is located, while Olatunji is from Oluyole local government area in Ibadan.
Emiola, who earlier served as PDP secretary before he and Ladoja left the party, is from the former governor’s camp while Olatunji who served as Accord Party and PDP PRO and Adeoye are also from the same camp as Ladoja.
Frontline Solidarity Movement (FSM), a group within the party, while condemning the actions of the duo, advised the ex-governor and the ex-SSG not to destabilize the party with their “self serving attitude”.
FSM, in a statement signed by its chairman, Alhaji Karimu Iyiola, berated the duo, alleging that, “two elder statesmen, who though, recently joined the party has perfected plans to usurp the machinery of the party without following due democratic tenets.
“Senator Ladoja working in tandem with Chief Koleosho, a former Secretary to the Oyo state government, who himself has lost political relevance in the Oke -Ogun region where he is from, to impose their will on the people, particularly against the members of the Unity Forum.
“A situation where a few people will sit down in the corner of a room in the name of elders, to impose their will on majority will not be tolerated in the Africa Democratic Congress, [ADC].
“If they intend to install their stoogies as the executives of the party following lay down procedures, there will be nothing to complain about, but to attempt to impose party executives on the rest of us who are obviously in the majority, will be met with vehement resistance by the Frontline Solidarity Movement [FSM].
Iyiola insisted that the group would explore all necessary means within the law to ensure that Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Chief Michael Koleosho do not impose their loyalists on the party. He called on the national Chairman of the party, Chief Okey Nwosu, not to allow the culture of impunity, imposition and godfatherism to hold sway in ADC.
But after a meeting in the Oyo Capital on Thursday morning, the group led by the Personal Assistant to late Lam Adesina were said to have decided to move to the ADP where they have allegedly been assured of a safe berth.
The communiqué issued after their meeting said “following the illegal assemblage of some group of people in the ADC at the Green spring Hotel, Old Ife Road, Ibadan, allegedly for the purposes of conducting the state congress of our party, ADC at about 6.05 P.M of the 28th of August, 2018 as against the notice of postponement had earlier been disseminated by the national chairman through a letter duely signed and made available to the entire members of the party across the state, the elders, leaders and members of the Unity forum met today, the 30th of August, 2018 to review the development and resolve as follows:
1. That the ward congress held across Oyo state on Saturday, the 25th of August, 2018 is inconclusive in most of the wards.
2. That the local government congress held across Oyo state on the Monday, the 27th of August, 2018 where local government executives of the party as well as delegates for the state congress are to be elected remain inconclusive in most local government across the state.
3. No avenue was given for the resolution of issues emanating from the congresses by the party especially, the local government congress from where the delegate list for the conduct of election into the state executive offices of the party at the state congress is supposed to be generated.
4. That due to issues arising from the local government congress and non readiness of huge numbers of local government excos and state delegates who are the fulcrum of those to vote at the state congress, the national headquarters of the party through her chairman, Chief Ralph Osita on the 27th of August, 2018, the day when the inconclusive local congress took place decided to postpone the conduct of state congress in Oyo state and did postpone the same until further notice.
5. That the notice of postponement was well circulated among members and delegates for the state congress of the party who then decided to remain at their various council and go about their daily activities following the postponement.
6. That till date, no further notice regarding the postponement has been given to the members of the party.
7. That on the 28th of August, 2018, a meeting was held at the house of Chief Michael Koleoso between himself and Chief Rasidi Ladoja and their supporters to the exclusion of members of Unity forum, where a purported list of state executive members of the party was generated and offices shared among themselves.
8. That following the information regarding the meeting above, leaders of the Unity forum across the state equally held an emergency meeting to discuss issues surrounding the previous as well as the postponed congress.
9. That it was resolved that attempt to foist or impose any list of state exco members from any quarters is hereby vehemently opposed.
10. That while the meeting of the Unity forum lasted, a delegation consisting of Barrister Bayo Lawal, Chief Sarafadeen Ali, Dr. Nureni Adisa and Hon. Lanre Agoro arrived at the venue of the meeting that all we heard about any template or list or names of state excos yet to be agreed upon did not exist anywhere and that it was a mere rumour.
That the delegation assured that the postponed state congress remain postponed from the national office of the party.
11. That contrary to those assurances, a list of state exco of the party was forced on the throat of Dr. Majekodunmi, the congress chairman, who without consultation decided to do the biddings of Chief Koleoso and Chief Ladoja by allegedly announcing some names as the state exco members of the party without following due procedure for the conduct of a genuine party congress as contained in the constitution of the party and the guideline issued pursuant to the same.
12. That at the purported venue of the party, the members of old ADC and Unity forum were not represented and it was an affairs of both Chief Koleoso and Ladoja as well as dogmant followership of Chief Olakojo.
13. That Dr. Majekodunmi met with the Unity forum on the29th of August 2018 on the directive of the national chairman of the party at this venue, but could not defend the announcement made at Green spring hotel of some names as members of state excos of the party.
14. That clear resolution was demanded through Dr. Majekodunmi to the national chairman as follows:
i. to the effect that the kangaroo and illega congress purportedly carry out should be cancelled witthin 24 hours of its announcement which expires at6.05p.m yesterday as same was invalid, illegal, unconstitutional and ultra vires of his powers as the congress chairman same having been postpone and no further notice of recession of postponement was published or given to delegates and members of the party.
ii. That all legal means will be taken to ensure the cancellation of the charade called state congress.
iii. That Unity forum while leaving avenue for the resolution of the impunity which the characteristics of the key players involved in this logjam, we will consider any other option for our teeming members to realise their pilitical ambition, and our numerous supporters yearning for good governance”.
