…As Kekemeke, Boroffice, others team up against party chair
From: Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The last seems not to have been heard about the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State as a faction of the party, comprising eminent leaders, on Tuesday, passed a vote of confidence in the suspended former state chairman of the party, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke.
Kekemeke was suspended by the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party following strong division in the party occasioned by the outcome of the last governorship primary election which produced Governor Rotimi Akeredolu as the party’s flagbearer for the last governorship election.
Kekemeke, who was replaced by Mr. Ade Adetimehin, had since vacated the party’s secretariat, while suit was instituted on his behalf by some members of the party who felt worried by his suspension from the party.
However, some leaders of the party including its National Vice
chairman (South West), Chief Pius Akinyelure, the senator representing
Ondo North senatorial district, Prof. Ajayi Borrofice and the Osun
State Commissioner for Regional Integration, Mr. Bola Ilori, rising from
a stakeholders meeting of the party, on Tuesday, passed a vote of
confidence in the leadership of Kekemeke.
The APC leaders who attended the meeting held, in AKure, the state
Capital, declared that Kekemeke remained the authentic chairman of the party in the state, while they passed a vote of no confidence in
Adetimehin.
Also, the party leaders expressed support for President Muhammadu
Buhari’s administration and that of Governor Akeredolu in Ondo State.
They unanimously resolved to grant unconditional ‘amnesty’ to party
members that expressed their grievances by contesting the 2016
governorship election under other political parties.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Kekemeke said, “We are very
conscious of the need to deliver more votes to President Buhari more
than we did in 2015. Although we thank God that we still won the 2016
gubernatorial election but the huge reduction in the votes scored by
APC in the election has taught us the need to bring everybody on board
for the good of APC in Ondo State.”
“Therefore, all members that left the party in annoyance or became
less active in the party because of the fallout of the last
gubernatorial election are hereby invited to return home to their
party and are hereby granted unconditional amnesty with full rights
and privileges as obtained before their brief departure,” he said.
He added that, “We are specifically calling on Senator Borroffice, Dr
Segun Abraham and Chief Olusola Oke to come out strong for APC
henceforth, our disagreements are now in the past and it is our
collective duty to build a vibrant party”.
The party leaders also used the forum, which had more than 508 elders
and leaders in attendance, to express belief in the leadership of the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the South West Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure.
However, the state chairman of the party, Mr. Adetimehin and the publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Abayomi Adesanya could not be reached for their comments on the development.