Congresses: Will consensus method work in Ondo APC?

A new brand of political maturity and understanding is playing out as leaders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State prepare for the party’s congresses, Osagie Otabor reports from Akure.

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State is set for the commencement of the party’s congresses scheduled to begin on July 31st. Unlike four years ago when preparations for its congresses were rancorous and filled with political brickbats, Ondo APC appears to be going into this year’s congresses with political understanding of all stakeholders. Leaders of the party have agreed to use the consensus method to pick its executives from the ward level to the state level.

In 2017, the Ondo APC held parallel congresses which saw to the emergence of two structures under Ade Adetimehin and Idowu Otetubi. The division in the party resulted in its poor outing at the 2019 general elections as it lost in the presidential election, managing to win one senatorial seat and four House of Representatives seats.

However, ahead of last year’s governorship election, Adetimehin moved to unite all aggrieved stakeholders in the party. He succeeded in ensuring support for Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the result was the landslide victory with which the APC defeated the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Eyitayo Jegede.

Last month, Governor Akeredolu began move to prevent crisis in the party ahead of the congresses by meeting with critical stakeholders of the Ondo APC. Leaders of the party present at the meeting included former deputy governor Lasisi Oluboyo; Ambassador Sola Iji, Chief Olusola Oke, Isaac Kekemeke, Prince Olu Adegboro, Dr. Paul Akintelure, Chief Bode Sunmonu, Mrs. Tanimola among several other leaders.

Hon Kekemeke, Chief Oke, and other leaders who spoke at the meeting stressed the need to have a fair consensus across the local government areas of the state. They argued that a consensus arrangement for the congresses would help foster unity in the party and make the party more formidable in future elections.

Governor Akeredolu, in his remark, stressed the need for a significant percentage of youths and women to be considered in the distribution of party positions. He urged Ondo APC members and leaders to work together and avoid polarization.

The governor said; “There is need for us to build a united political party. A political party should be united in everything. When the dust of an election settles, a political party becomes one, because we are all one. The party must be united. I can still see some polarization.

Let’s come together and work together for the state. Let us work together as a party. What is important to me is that when I finish my tenure, I will wish and pray that I build a formidable, united and strong APC. There is need for us to be united so we can have a very strong vehicle.”

Adetimehin, on his part, said the party was the first to score higher than 50 percent in any governorship election in the state under the leadership of Governor Akeredolu. He charged leaders and members of the party to mobilize their people for the ongoing continuous voters registration exercise.

However, some members of the party especially those nursing political ambition have raised fears that the consensus method was being hijacked by some leaders of the party. At a stakeholders’ meeting of APC leaders in Ipele Ward Seven, Owo local government area, some chieftains claimed party leaders are compiling names of party ward executives without meeting with the local leaders.

Read Also: Ondo election: Who wants Akeredolu out?

 

Those who spoke in Ipele passed a vote of no confidence on the State Woman Leader, Prophetess Renike Witherspoon. They accused Witherspoon of sidelining them in the affairs of the party in the locality. They said Mrs. Witherspoon was compiling names of those to be made Ward Executives without carrying all stakeholders along.

Hon. Nuel Elehinle warned that such actions would affect the chances of the party in the 2023 general elections, saying APC members in Ipele were unhappy. According to him, “This is our Ward. There has been a lot of agitation about polarisation of the party in this Ward. Leaders of the party are very concern about the progress of our party.

“We are preparing for Congress and we are consulting to present a united front ahead of the election. We want to address all grievances. We want to also ensure the needs of our people are well attended to especially when it comes to decision making in our party.

“What is happening now will affect the party in the forthcoming elections if not nipped in the bud. A lot of our members are complaining. They are saying most Executives of the party are not doing enough to carry everybody along.”

Another APC chieftain, Tunde Monehin, said that any consensus list taken to Akure without input from all stakeholders would be null and void. Monehin said party decisions were unilaterally taken by Mrs. Witherspoon thereby neglecting party members.

His words, “This is my Ward. The Ward is the strongest base of any politician. Any politician that is not strong in his Ward is weak. What we are worried about is that decisions are unilaterally made in APC. Decisions are taken by one person who feels she is all in all. Only one person monopolized everything that comes to the party.

“The days of writing names for congress are over. Consensus does not mean somebody will sit down in Akure because she is the Woman Leader and start calling people one by one to put down their names. The time of asking people to bring names to Akure are over. We must sit down and decide who leads us. We are taking the lead for other Wards to follow. If anybody goes to Akure with a list that does not emanate from all stakeholders here, that list is null and void.”

But the Ondo APC spokesman, Alex Kalejaiye, in a press statement, described Witherspoon as a transparent and decent politician. “The party urges the public to discountenance the sensational report. We also use the opportunity to implore members of the party to report genuine complaints to appropriate organs of the party for sincere and deserving attention,” he said.

Witherspoon also denied all allegations levelled against her saying those accusing her were not members of the APC. Witherspoon described them as PDP defectors who want to hijack the party from her. She stated that any meeting not called by the Ward Chairman is null and void.