JUST IN: FULL REPORT: APC LG Congress: Ogun, Lagos, Niger, Adamawa, Osun, Kaduna, Imo, Others

JUST IN: FULL REPORT: APC LG Congress: Ogun, Lagos, Niger, Adamawa, Osun, Kaduna, Imo, Others

September 5, 2021

The Local government party Congress of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Adamawa State ended in fracas as aggrieved party members from Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas of Adamawa State condemned the distribution of election material to members who were not supposed to handle the materials. 

Chairman of the committee sent to conduct the sharing and deployment of the sensitive materials, Professor Umar Katsayal and his team almost got lynched when they were about to leave the party secretariat by angry youths who demanded their election materials for their zone. The youths, in their hundreds, stormed the party secretariat shouting ‘we need justice’ and accused officials of the Department of State Service (DSS) and the congress committee of conniving to divert the congress materials. 

The DSS official was said to have shot into the air to disperse the angry youths. A serving senator representing Adamawa Central, Ashaitu Ahamed Binani, openly railed against the composition of congress committee members which he said was lopsided. 

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“I am not comfortable with the composition of the committee sent to conduct the congress in my zone,” he said. 

Following the Senator’s comment, a pandemonium ensued, leading to a free for all which led to the secretary of the electoral committee, Mr Birtus Agbess, ordering the security operatives to collect the video footage of the event and delete it. 

As of the time of filing this result, there was no sign of an election taking place anywhere in the state capital. 

Senator Binani expressed surprise that the venue of the congress was unknown to him at the time of filing this report. 

Other stakeholders in the party were said to have held their own congress at different venues. One of the aggrieved members of the party in the state described the congress as a scam, calling on the party’s national leadership to address the matter to prevent it from escalating. 

Congress deferred to today in 5 Niger LGs

Five out of 25 local government areas in the Niger State chapter of the APC, on Saturday, rejected consensus candidates adopted by the party. 

Chairman of the Congress Committee in the state, Senator Domingo Obende, confirmed that the five local governments could not agree on consensus and would go ahead with election today by 10am. Speaking at a news conference in Minna, the state capital, on Saturday, he said there was no imposition of candidates anywhere in the state because stakeholders agreed and zoned positions to various areas accordingly. 

Senator Obende explained that the exercise was relatively peaceful with few challenges, especially for the position chairmanship in contention in local governments such as Wushishi, Rijau, Shiroro, Bida and Lapai. 

He assured that he would conduct free, fair and transparent congress devoid of rancour, noting that three-man panel set up by the party had been given a template on how to conduct the election. 

Oyetola, Aregbesola’s supremacy battle dogs congress in Osun

The APC congress in Osun State was, on Saturday, characterised by crisis in many parts of the state, leaving to alleged molestation and maltreatment of many party members. 

While the exercise was peaceful in some local government areas due to consensus arrangement, parallel congress was held by diehard supporters of the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola. 

At such venues, some Oyetola supporters clashed with that of the former governor. The exercise was peaceful in Osogbo, the state capital where consensus arrangement was ratified in the two local governments in the town. 

In Ede North Local Government Area of the state where a parallel exercise was to be held, pandemonium broke out as some thugs reportedly engaged themselves in free for all fight, leading to maiming of some party members. 

Investigation revealed that the thugs, who were fully armed with cutlasses, guns, daggers and other dangerous weapons had laid siege to the Film House, NITEL area, beside Pere Police Station of the town around 9am. 

Speaking with Sunday Tribune, a party member, who identified himself as Adesoji Adebayo, claimed that they were in the process of ratifying their consensus arrangement in line with the agreement reached with the leadership of the party when some armed thugs descended on them. 

Another person who identified himself as Kamorudeen Abdulfatai, pointed out that they were about to have their congress when some hoodlums pounced on them, causing them to flee. 

A former chairman of Ede North Local Council Development Area, Mukaila Uthman, confirmed the attack, saying that he was a witness. 

But in Ife East local Government Area, a parallel congress was organised by Aregbesola’s supporters. 

Members of the congress committee expressed satisfaction over the exercise, denouncing any parallel congress in the state except those reported on Facebook and social media generally. 

Abiodun, Amosun hold parallel congress in Ogun

GOVERNOR of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Saturday, continued their show of strength on the political turf of the state as they both led their party loyalists to choose their preferred candidates at separate locations in the APC local government congress held across the country. 

Following this development, were said to have emerged in all the 20 local government areas of the state, re-igniting the political rivalry between the two gladiators and their loyalists. 

In Abeokuta North Local Government, local government of origin of Amosun, he and his team elected their local government party officials at African Church Grammar School, Akin Olugbade, Abeokuta, while the Dapo Abiodun faction made use of Unity Secondary School, AgoIka, Abeokuta. 

However, in governor Dapo Abiodun’s local government, Ikenne Local Government, his faction picked their officials at Saint Saviour’s School, while Amosun and his team used an open field in Ikenne. Also, at Amosun’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 election in the state, Honourable Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade’s home ground in Ipokia Local Government, Amosun’s camp voted at Methodist Primary School, Ipokia, while Abiodun’s group had theirs at Opo Hall, Ipokia. 

Speaking to Sunday Tribune, media aide to Akinlade, Azeez Adelani claimed that both Senator Lekan Mustapha (Ogun East) and Senator Tolu Odebiyi (Ogun West) mobilised party members across their senatorial districts in favour of the Amosun’s camp, while Senator Ibikunle Amosun held grip of the Ogun Central senatorial district. 

Adelani noted that it was a peaceful process despite the parallel arrangement as no violence recorded throughout the state. 

Division continues in Lagos APC 

Factions within the Lagos state chapter of the APC, on Saturday, held parallel local government congress across the 245 wards of the 20 local government areas of the state. The two major factions of the party comprising the Tunde Balogun faction and the Lagos4Lagos group held their separate congresses where new party officers emerged through consensus and affirmation without any violence recorded. 

In Ifako-Ijaiye local Government Area, both factions recorded huge turnout of party at the designated venues. 

On the side of the Tunde Balogun faction, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Ahmed Ipoola Omisore said they were returning the party to the people at the grass roots, as offices were shared between the two LCDAs that make up the local government area. 

In his assessment of the conduct of the congress, chairman of the Local Government Congress Electoral Committee in Ifako-Ijaye Local Government, Honourable Sultan Adeniji Adele disclosed that accreditation of delegates was by voice affirmation. 

In Agege Local Government Area, the vice-chairman, Apex Committee of Lagos4Lagos, Honourable Sunday Ajayi said his group remained the only faction of the Lagos APC that upholds the party’s constitution in the conduct of the congress. 

“All the people gathered here is the ward executives inaugurated yesterday because the national body said the executive must be inaugurated yesterday [Friday]. We have 27 executives. After calling the names of the aspirants and there is no opposition, we affirmed. It is a consensus method. 

“We are two factions in Lagos but Lagos4Lagos is the only faction of the APC that conducted the ward congress. The other side only paraded appointed candidates. 

“For instance, they held local government election, Lagos APC registered 2.5million members but less than 500,000 members voted as a result of our boycotting the election. We have over two million members in Lagos state and that is why the national body cannot close its eyes to us. 

“As it is here that is how it is in all the 20 local government areas across the state,” he said. 

Tinubu’s men boycott congress in Ekiti 

The local government congress of the APC in Ekiti state as held across the 16 council areas in the state with a faction of the party loyal to a national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, boycotting the exercise. 

Sunday Tribune observed that the congress was held in a peaceful atmosphere across the venues as members only affirmed the new executives in the local government areas following the withdrawal of the faction of the party under the auspices of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju 2023 (SWAGA) from the exercise. 

Unlike the ward congress which was marred with violence leading to the death of one person due to the insistence of the aggrieved members on election rather than the consensus method canvassed by group loyal to the governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Saturday’s congress was without any rancour. 

On Saturday, Sunday Tribune monitored the exercise and observed that the venues were populated by the ‘Tokantokan group’ in the party loyal to the governor where the party’s council executives were elected with affirmation unopposed. 

SWAGA , a group of aggrieved members of the party, under the leadership of former minister of works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, boycotted the exercise under the premise that all issues raised relating to the ward congress were not addressed by the national caretaker committee. Secretary of the group, Mr Femi Adeleye, said the group was currently challenging the ward congress in court hence their decision to stay away from Saturday’s exercise. 

Adeleye noted that without the issues and concerns raised by aggrieved leaders relating to the ward congress judiciously addressed, the decision to go ahead with the council congress was illegal. But the secretary of the Ekiti State APC Congress Committee, Femi Akindeke, said the decision of SWAGA members to challenge the ward congress did not vitiate the outcome of the congress. 

Parallel exercise in Kwara 

Although it was largely peaceful in Kwara State, it was marred by division as factional APC members loyal to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, held a parallel congress in some parts of the state. 

The factional APC members, led by Honourable Bashir Bolarinwa, also conducted their congress through consensus arrangement, as did the faction loyal to the state governor, Abdulrazaq Abdularamon. Speaking to Sunday Tribune, the Asa Local Government Area chairman of the factional group, Abdulkadir Imam Saadu, said they decided to adopt consensus arrangement to promote peace and unity in the party. 

But the congress was adjudged as peaceful and orderly in the 16 local government areas of the state. 

Sunday Tribune gathered that the exercise took off across the state amid fanfare as party delegates trooped out to elect new executives at the local government levels through affirmation. 

It is recalled that the party stakeholders at a meeting in Ilorin on Friday, attended by the deputy governor, Kayode Alabi, who represented Governor Abdulrahman Abdul- razaq, agreed to adopt consensus arrangements, where candidates would be elected through affirmation. The congress, which was held across the state, was supervised by the APC team from the national secretariat Abuja and INEC officials deployed for the exercise. Some of the newly elected APC local government chairmen include: 

Sulaiman Tejidini (Ilorin West); Shehu Yahya (Asa); Ambali HakeemJaji is (Ilorin South); Lawal Habeeb (Ilorin East) and Olumide Ibitoye (Irepodun). Reports from Baruten, Irepodun, Ekiti, Isin, Ifelodun, Patigi, Edu, Moro, Kaiama, and Offa, among others indicated that the exercise was hitch-free and without untoward incidents as party delegates affirmed their consensus list. 

An official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Muhammad Kabir, who monitored the process in Ilorin, described the exercise as peaceful. Also speaking, the state chairman APC caretaker committee in the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Samari, expressed delight that the process was peaceful and orderly throughout the state. 

APC breaks into factions in Enugu

The crisis rocking the APC in Enugu State worsened, on Saturday, as the party broke into three major factions in the state. 

Feuding stakeholders in the state chapter of the party had given the impression the disagreement in the party was over and were ready to work together to deliver a hitch-free congress. 

But the seeming peace in the party crumbled during the ward congress of the party, leading to two parallel executives in most of the wards. While the party was still contending with that, it has split further into three factions, an aftermath of the local government congress held yesterday.

It was gathered that while one faction is loyal to the state’s Caretaker Committee chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye, another group is with Senator Ken Nnamani, while the third faction is loyal to foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama.

Nnamani and former governor, Sullivan Chime are said to be in one camp, while Nwoye and most of the foundation members of the party, including Mr Osita Okechukwu, Okey Ezea, Emperor Baywood Ibeh, among others, are together.

In Udi Local Government Area for instance, the local government congress produced Felix Okafor – Osita Okechukwu faction, Onyeka Nwabisi, Minister, Onyeama’s faction and Hyacinth Abala, Chime’s faction.

Congress inconclusive in Oyo 

THE congress was marred by clash of interests at Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State as the process was inconclusive due to acrimony over choice of candidates. 

Sunday Tribune gathered that the party stakeholders in the state had held a meeting at the party secretariat where it was agreed upon that there should be consensus candidates across the 33 local government areas of the state. 

This, however, did not go down well with some party members in the council, particularly those loyal to a former member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Wasiu Akinmoyede Lafioye. 

A chieftain of the party in the council, Honourable Remi Adebayo, said contrary to what the stakeholders agreed upon, some party members loyal to Lafioye were trying to impose an unpopular candidate on the generality of the party. The acrimony that resulted led to upheaval which rendered the congress inconclusive. 

“There are three zones in Lagelu Local Government Area. In compliance with the zoning formula constituted earlier by the zoning committee as agreed upon, Mr Gbenga Adekanmbi was chosen as potent party secretary without interference from other two zones, while Lagelu North leaders chose Mr Oladipupo Ademola as the vice chairman hence, a leader of the party, Honourable Kunle Sanda and other leaders unanimously chose Honourable Oyewumi Oyegoke as the chairman for the party,” he said. 

The congress was, however, largely peaceful in Oyo State with executives emerging out of a combination of consensus and harmonisation methods. 

At the various venues of the congress, executives emerged either with affirmation of voice votes or option A-4 voting method. However, the process was not entirely smooth in some local government areas like Ibadan North East and Ibadan South East where the exercise was marred by some rancor with reported parallel congress in some parts of the state. 

Speaking at end of the exercise, chairman of the Congress Committee, Mr Hilary Amodu, declared that any congress held outside the agreed and approved venue would be declared null and void. 

Congress hitch-free in Akwa Ibom, says party chairman

In Akwa Ibom State, the congress was held without skirmishes as was the case in the ward congress in which opposing faction led by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, rejected the outcome. 

The elected ward executives across the 329 wards were inaugurated over the weekend following affirmation by the national leadership of the party and the court. 

The exercise held on Saturday across the 31 local government areas, it was gathered, recorded no cases of complaints in Essien Udim, Abak, Ika, Ikot Ekpene and other areas. Speaking to journalists, the state’s Caretaker chairman, Dr Ita Udosen, gave pass mark on the conduct of the exercise, adding that efforts were made to ensure the exercise was in line with the expected best practices as enshrined in the guidelines. 

Consensus affirmed in Ondo APC congress 

The congress was generally peaceful in the 18 councils areas of Ondo State where consensus arrangement was adopted in choosing executives at that level. 

Party members who participated in the congress came out at as early as 9am as accreditation and voting commenced at 10am after leaders of the party had earlier agreed to the consensus method. In some of the local government areas visited by Sunday Tribune, including Akure South, Akure North, Ifedore and Idanre, members only affirmed the consensus list af- ter the names were read out. 

The chairman of the Congress Committee, Mr Gboyega Isiaka, expressed delight that the stakeholders worked according to the laid down rules. 

Hitch-free congress in Kogi

Also, in Kogi State, the exercise was peaceful, even as security personnel ensured peace was maintained in the state.  Hundreds of APC members had trooped out as early as 7 am for the election. In Lokoja, the state capital of Kogi state, when Sunday Tribune visited the venue, there were no issues. 

No hassles in Kebbi

The Kebbi State chapter of the APC, on Saturday, elected its local government executives across the 21 local government areas of the state through consensus. At the Justice Ibrahim Umaru Primary School the venue for Birnin-Kebbi Local Government Area, witnessed by a national officer of the party, Mr Osita Okechwuku and attended by the Minister of Justice and Attorney Generally of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), all the delegates agreed to the consensus option. 

Malami explained that all the APC members and stakeholders generally adopted consensus.