Facts have emerged of how big names like the national leader, Bola Tinubu, Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, former Kano State governor, serving senator Rabiu Kwakwanso, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, former Rivers State governor and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, controversial Delta senator, Ovie Omo-Agege, former Cross River governor and one-time national chairmanship aspirant, Clement Ebri, lost out in the struggle to either have absolute control of the All Progressives Congress (APC) structures in their states or sustain their political relevance there, National Daily has gathered.
While the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, last Friday, began work on the reports from the various appeal panels on the conduct of state congresses, its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi blamed big names and their factions for the division in their various states.
He also confirmed that the faction loyal to Tinubu, which conducted its ward and local government congresses in 57 local government councils and local council development areas, was overruled by the national leadership.
Abdullahi confirmed that a five-man panel was set up to dissect the constitutionality and legality of the two exercises conducted in Lagos state and find a political solution to the crisis in the state.
The panel, which began sitting on Sunday, is headed by the deputy national chairman, North, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, with members including the National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, Vice National Chairman, North-West Inuwa Abdulkadir, among others.
The panel has also been charged to resolve the logjam in Oyo State between factions loyal to the state governor, Ajimobi and Minister of Communications, Bayo Shittu.
Abdullahi confirmed that the congress conducted by the faction headed by the governor was denied an official recognition, with both factions asked to share the party executives.
When asked if it was true that the factions were asked to do it 50-50, Abdullahi said he couldn’t exactly remember what the sharing formula was, but that the idea of winner-takes-all would not apply.
A source in Ajimobi’s camp argued that only a valid court order could re-arrange the current situation by taking some slots away from the governor.
Abdullahi disagreed, saying that any form of inauguration done on the basis of the ward and local government congresses would amount to an illegality, because it was the state executive that would swear them in, after the NWC would have sworn in the state leaders.
He noted that, for now, NWC had not begun the process of inaugurating the state executive, which allows for harmonisation window.
Though he wasn’t specific about him, his position that nearly all the state chapters’ crises had been resolved, except for about four, confirmed that Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha was also one of the casualties.
The party spokesperson explained that all factions that boycotted the exercise in protest of alleged irregularities, were ruled out of order in states where such occurred.
Dogara’s faction in Bauchi, Senator Shehu Sani’s faction in Kaduna and Kwakwanso’s in Kano were caught in the wrong crowd by the NWC’s position.
When the names of the party bigwigs leading the factions were reeled off to him as casualties, Abdullahi explained that it is settled in law that one cannot complain about a process he didn’t participate in.
It was learnt that crises in states like Kogi, Kwara, Delta, Cross River were resolved by basically going for the congresses supervised by the electoral committees set up by the NWC.
In Delta, the party has now been handed over to the Great Ogboru faction, leading to a huge loss for the faction led by Omo-Agege.
In Cross River, Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, carried the day over the Clement Ebri faction.
The protesting faction in Katsina, which is in court against the Governor Aminu Masari faction, supported by President Muhammadu Buhari, was also ruled offside by the party’s leadership.
Speaking on the crisis resolution by the NWC, which will continue tomorrow (Monday), Abdullahi stated that “we have just about four more states to resolve. Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and Bayelsa. We cancelled the Bayelsa exercise because the electoral committee that went there spilt and could not agree on the outcome. So we cancelled it. Rivers is a court matter and the panel will resolve Oyo and Lagos”.
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