As the leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress worsens, PETER DADA examines the crisis and the likely political implications
With the current happenings at the leadership level of the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, it will not be an understatement to describe the party has being factionalised as two leaders now claim to be the head of the party in the state.
The two principal actors on the political scene are the Acting Chairman of the party, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, and the embattled Chairman of the party, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke, but the latter is more recognised as the leader of the party in the state.
Both leaders are said to be loyal to their different national leaders in the party.
Kekemeke, who was elected as the chairman of the party in 2014, was purportedly placed on an indefinite suspension by a three-man disciplinary committee of the party following allegations of misconduct and anti-party activities, after which the then deputy chairman, Adetimehin was appointed as the chairman of the party in acting capacity.
Apart from Kekemeke, who has ignored the purported punishment against him, the party has also punished others including the senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Ajayi Boroffice; a lawmaker representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Mr. Baderinwa Bolarinwa; a former APC governorship aspirant, Dr. Segun Abraham; the Osun State Commissioner for Regional Integration, Mr. Bola Ilori. According to a source in the party, they were allegedly involved in anti-party activities.
It was learnt that the affected members of the party, who allegedly enjoyed the support of its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had expressed their readiness to return to the party, but the Adetimehin-led party executive rejected the move. The rejection was allegedly based on an argument by Adetimehin’s camp that Kekemeke and others did not work for the victory of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in the November 2015 governorshiip election.
Kekemeke and other suspended leaders have also approached the court to challenge the action and the case is pending at a Federal High Court, Akure.
Few weeks ago, Kekemeke and other factional chieftains of the party in the state held a meeting at an undisclosed venue in Akure, the state capital, which the state party executive declared as illegal. At the meeting, it was resolved that the position of the acting chairman of the APC in Ondo was illegal; therefore, they passed a vote of no confidence in Adetimehin.
At the meeting, the factional group also vowed to support President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office.
Boroffice, who was one of the speakers at the meeting, noted that the gathering became imperative in view of the need to reposition the party and make it formidable ahead of the forthcoming elections.
He said, “I can assure that this meeting we started will go a long way in helping the party in its future endeavours. We also repose confidence in the Mr. Kekemeke-led executive committee and I’m not aware of any other chairman.”
They thereafter wrote a letter to the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, asking him to remove Adetimehin from his position as acting chairman of the party in the state.
According to them, no part of the party’s constitution supports the creation of such a position.
The letter read in part, “All the steps leading to the unlawful takeover of the party’s secretariat by a section of party officers with the connivance of the ‘powers that be’ are contrary to the spirit and letter of the party’s constitution. The required authority and quorum for convening meetings and removing officers of the party were not met.
“The matter of the unlawful takeover of the party’s secretariat by a section of the party is a subject of formal complaint to the South-West Zonal Executive, which has set up a committee to look into same. The committee had visited Ondo State and its report is being awaited.
“Being dissatisfied with the way and manner the national secretariat has been handling the affairs of the party in the state, a case, Suit No FHC/AKCS/45/2017 at the instance of some aggrieved party officers challenging the unlawful and illegal destabilisation of the party is pending in the Federal High Court, Akure.
“Nowhere in the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress 2014 as amended is the national chairman of our party empowered to unilaterally remove or appoint an officer for the party in the state. In fact, even the National Working Committee cannot do so except in the exercise of its appellate jurisdiction. The power of the NWC is limited to the dissolution of an organ and the constitution of a caretaker committee.
“With due respect to your person and office, we unequivocally reject your unilateral albeit, unlawful and illegal appointment of Mr. Ade Adetimehin as acting chairman of our party in Ondo State just as we express our unflinching support for and confidence in Kekemeke as the chairman of our party in the state.
“We hereby appeal to you to immediately direct the immediate withdrawal of the said letter of appointment so that our party, and indeed Ondo State, will not be plunged into avoidable and unimaginable crisis.”
However, Adetimehin’s faction said it was not moved by the rival faction’s letter to the national secretariat, while describing their meeting as clandestine. Adetimehin insisted that the embattled chairman was still on an indefinite suspension.
A statement issued by the state’s Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Abayomi Adesanya, said that Kekemeke, Boroffice, Ilori and other aggrieved APC chieftains allegedly belonged to the Alliance for Democracy and for that reason, they were asked to officially renounce the party and defect to the APC at their wards, if they wanted to be in the party.
The statement alleged that the factional leaders worked for the candidate of the AD in the last governorship election, Chief Olusola Oke, and that after they failed, they began to seek ways to manouver themselves back to the APC.
The statement said, “Those who signed the said letter written to our National Chairman are known leaders of the Alliance for Democracy, who participated openly in the campaigns of the AD and its candidate, Olusola Oke. We see their actions now as laughable, embarrassing and shameful. We are bewildered by how members of the Alliance for Democracy would ask the National Chairman, All Progressives Congress to remove our Acting State Chairman.
“Even at their last clandestine meeting, it came to us as a surprise, that the Director-General of the AD in the last governorship election in Ondo State, in person of Bola Ilori, was seated at the high table, where the meeting was held.
“We will like to state that we are magnanimous in victory; we are ready to accept our lost sheep. But, these people must accept responsibility and return to the party by officially defecting to the APC. Kekemeke, Boroffice, Ilori and the rest should toe an honourable path and officially come back to the party.”
As both factions engage in war of words, it is expected that the national leadership of the party would intervene and resolve the matter. But the major challenge of the national leaders of the party on the matter is that while one faction has the support of the Odigie-Oyegun-led national executive, the other has the support of Tinubu.
Political analysts have noted that if the crisis is not resolved, the crisis could worsen and become violent as both factions have members aspiring to contest for seats in the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate in subsequent elections.
A political analyst, Mr. Debo Idris, envisaged that there might be parallel congresses in the party next year.
He said, “In my opinion, the national secretariat of the APC is not fair to Ondo State chapter of the party and specifically, I will blame the National Chairman of the party for not doing enough about the matter.
“He ought to have set up a reconciliation committee to look into the matter and implement the recommendation of the committee, more so that the general elections are some months away.
“But now because the crisis has not turned to violence, they keep quiet, pretending all is well with the party in the state. But by the time it is full-blown, it may get out of hand.”
Similarly, according a social commentator and lecturer at the Ajakunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Dr. Gbenga Abimbola, the crisis can better be resolved at the national level.
He said, “I don’t think it is good for any political party to reject those who have left or were suspended if they choose to come back.
“But those who also want to come back should fulfil certain conditions. One thing that is clear is that if anything can’t be resolved at the state level, it is the duty of the national body to resolve it.
“There should be no victor and no vanquished in this matter because the house that is divided against itself cannot stand. In the interest of the party, all stakeholders should find ways to resolve the matter.”
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