APC risks losing Lagos, other states over internal crisis, chieftain warns

Yekini Nabena, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy national publicity secretary, has cautioned that other APC governors, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, could share Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun state’s fate if the party fails to settle differences with disgruntled party members before the 2023 general elections.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Nabena urged immediate true reconciliation among all APC leaders and stakeholders in the states of Gombe, Kwara, Kogi, Kano, and Ogun.

He pointed out that the party’s loss in the recently held governorship election in Osun State served as a warning to the incumbent party ahead of the 2023 elections.

He said: “The era of taking people for granted arrogantly and thinking you will win elections is far over, hence APC leaders across board must respect each other and forge a united front ahead of the 2023 general elections.

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“Osun state governorship election has come and gone, but we must learn a lesson. In 2018, the then National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, and his National Working Committee (NWC) worked so hard to defeat nature in Osun, but in 2022, nature came back with full force to take its place.”

Nabena added: “The only way out for the APC as a party is to respect leaders in every state and zone, and not just think you can arrogantly arrange your boys to install leaders anywhere like they tried to do in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Rivers states by some paper weight governors from the west who solely rely on Asiwaju to win the election.

“In party politics, everyone matters, you must carry everyone along. This is a warning to the APC presidential candidate to caution his men who are already thinking of installing leaders across the state with full assurance that their oga (Tinubu) will be the next President and they (the boys) will be in charge of party structures across the states, this must be addressed quickly.

“They must also stop seeing all those who contested primary elections with them as enemies. There must always be a winner in a contest, and that is why it is a democracy. So this arrogance of power cannot do APC good because Lagos is not Nigeria, what they can do and get away with in Lagos State cannot happen in the entire Nigeria.”