OduduwaNews has gathered that the crisis brewing in the All Progressives Party in Oyo State has taken a new dimension as the Unity Forum, a sectional group of the party has discountenanced the rumour flying around that Akala has been named the leader of the party in Oyo State.
In a statement jointly signed by four of its leaders namely Senator Soji Akanbi, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin,Senator Ayoade Adeseun, and Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, the Unity Forum said the report did not correctly capture what happened at the meeting held at the residence of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State in Ibadan on Sunday,September 20, 2020.
The Unity Forum contend that the nature of the meeting as agreed at the peace meeting earlier held in Abuja was subverted when members of the SENACO/ADP/PDP axis of the APC flooded the meeting with about 60 members contrary to the 15 representatives that convener claimed had been invited to the meeting.
The statement also revealed the controversy surrounding the party leadership position.
“The truth is that Governor Fayemi proposed the composition of an advisory council of elders with Otunba Akala as Chairman. When attempts were made by some contributors that Otunba Akala be made the Leader of the party in the state,this was vehemently opposed on two grounds:. One, that the constitution of APC does not make a provision for a Leader.
Second, that given the recent experience of the party with dictatorial leadership,the council of elders should provide collegiate advisory leadership for the party instead of creating another possible dictator. This position became the popular theme in subsequent contributions. The opinion was so overwhelming that in his closing remarks,Otunba Akala angrily rejected the offer to be Chairman of a council of elders. He said he was only ready to be Leader of the party. The meeting however went ahead to resolve that Akala be Chairman of the council while the two surviving former deputy governors in the party and Chairman of the party,Chief Akin Oke, be made automatic members of the council.
They are to consult elders of the party in Oyo Central and Oyo South Senatorial zones to nominate three members each into the council.
“Efforts to elect the representatives at the meeting were resisted as there was no equal representation of stakeholders of the party at the meeting. At this point,it became evident why members of the SENACO/ADP/PDP axis flooded the meeting under the guise of being stakeholders of the APC.
“We call on members of the APC in Oyo State to discountenace the false claims on the peace initiative in the party. The cacophony of voices that has trailed the meeting is a confirmation that the Sunday meeting has worsened rather than help resolve the crisis in the APC in Oyo State”,the statement concluded.