… as Fayemi, Tinubu’s loyalists fight over Aluko, Ajimobi
- The position is zoned to our state, Ekiti APC claims
- Ex-Oyo gov’s nomination on merit- Aide
Ahead of the 2023 presidency, the camps of Governor Kayode Fayemi and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, are currently entangled in a contest over the installation of a new deputy national chairman (South) for the party.
The seat became vacant when the incumbent and former governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, was appointed minister of Trade and Industry by President Muhammdu Buhari.
Though the position was allegedly zoned to Ekiti State, it was gathered that as part of scheming over who would emerge the presidential candidate of the party in 2023, the position becomes very strategic.
A section of the party in the region not comfortable with Fayemi as a major contender for the exalted position of the President come 2023 believes his loyalist should not occupy such a top position in the ruling APC.
It was gathered that the group, which is very sympathetic to Tinubu’s presidential aspiration, is, therefore, scheming to get former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to take over from Adebayo as deputy national chairman (South).
Sources at the party’s headquarters in Abuja also disclosed that the group had successfully received the backing of the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
But as the Ekiti APC was rejoicing for foiling a “coup,” which would have led to Ajimobi’s announcement as deputy national chairman of the party at the APC Zonal Executive meeting in Osogbo , Osun State, about two weeks ago, Tinubu’s camp, smartly through a media report, declared that Ajimobi’s appointment had been endorsed by APC National Executive Committee based on his adoption by the South West Caucus of the party.
But in a swift reaction, the South West Zonal Publicity Secretary of the APC, Hon. Asiwaju Karounwi Oladapo, said South West APC had yet to endorse anybody for the position.
Oladapo said in a statement, “Attention of the leadership of the South West Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to a misleading report published by Nigeria Tribune of Friday 7,2020, that the South west Caucus of the party has approved the appointment of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman of APC at the Osogbo meeting of the party’s leadership.
“I, the Zonal Publicity Secretary of the South West Caucus, Rt. Hon. Karounwi Oladapo, hereby wish to state that the story was fabricated and that it was a complete falsehood as nothing like that happened in the said meeting. Members of the Public and APC members should disregard such claims in its entirety.
“How can the leadership Caucus in Abuja ratify a non-existent endorsement and approval as claimed by the Tribune publication. As the Zonal Publicity Secretary statutorily responsible for dissemination of news and information from the Zonal Caucus, I did not issue any statement after the Osogbo meeting because I was not authorised to so do. Where then did Tribune obtain its information? We expect Tribune to take seriously any matter that can put its integrity into question.
“Once again, I will like to reiterate the statement of the National Vice Chairman South West and the Chairman of the South West Zonal Caucus, Pastor Bankole Oluwajana, that the party never approved or endorsed any candidate at its Osogbo meeting and that the APC national leadership will resolve who among the duo of Senator Gbenga Aluko and Senator Abiola Ajimobi will occupy the vacant seat at the appropriate time.”
Also speaking with our correspondent, Ekiti State APC Director of Media and Publicity, Elder Samuel Oluwalana, said the party would resist attempt by some leaders of the party to install Ajimobi as Adebayo’s successor, saying the position had been zoned to Ekiti State.
He said, “Going by precedence, the state should be the one to occupy the office, which was earlier occupied by the current Minister of Trade and Industry, Otunba Niyi Adebayo. The post of Deputy National Chairman was zoned to Ekiti State and the Ekiti State Chapter of the APC has held a meeting and has endorsed Senator Gbenga Aluko as its candidate for the position in response to the notification to fill the vacant position from the National Headquarters of the party.
“I am also using this medium to say categorically that nobody has endorsed Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman of our great party. I was present at the meeting held in Osogbo and nobody said anything about endorsing anybody for the position at that meeting. We made our position clear that our state has to serve out its tenure and we are endorsing Senator Gbenga Aluko for the position.”
But in a swift reaction, Ajimobi’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, said, “Senator Abiola Ajimobi that I know will not lobby for any position. This appointment is coming because the party at the highest level believes he has something to offer the party, the Southwest and the nation; that led to his nomination. He has distinguished himself as a technocrat, whose distinguished career took him to the highest level of his professional career in an international organisation. He has also distinguished himself as a noteworthy politician, who was governor of Oyo State on two consecutive, unprecedented terms. And as governor, the people of Oyo State are agreed that his records of achievements are unassailable and also unprecedented. Infact, he is dubbed the father of modern Oyo State.
“So, if his party finds him worthy for that position, so be it. As a statesman and the deputy chairman (South) of his party, APC, he has no quarrel with anyone. People are bound to raise one concern or the other, but we should always disagree to agree. However, we should always set the records straight on matters like this. The position of Deputy National Chairman (South) is a party position zoned to the South made up of the South-West, South East and the South South. The South then gave the slot to the Southwest. At the time, all the South West States were under the control of the APC except Ekiti State, hence the party elders and caucus gave it to Ekiti at the time in order to strengthen the party in Ekiti and ensure that the state had a coordinator and presence at the party’s highest level of decision-making.
“Recall that a similar thing happened in the North; the position of Secretary was zoned to the North East and Yobe State had the slot. Fortuitously, the Secretary of the party emerged the governor of the State. If we go by Ekiti State’ s argument, one would then say the replacement should come from Ekiti, but the party elders in their wisdom still retained it in the North East, but micro-zoned it to Bornu State.
“In any case, Ekiti has a right to agitate to retain the seat; we should, however, see ourselves as a broom that achieves when it is together. We are all one.”
