An interest group within the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, The Unity Forum, has cried out over an alleged plan by the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to disrupt the smooth conduct of the APC's local government congress slated forthis Saturdayin the state.
The governor, according to a statement issued by the Secretary of the Unity Forum, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, who was still bitter about the inability of his SENACO group members in the last Sunday ward congress had concluded plans to prevent genuine party faithful interested in participating in the second phase of the nation-wide exercise using all the power and influence available to him.
“Impeccable sources have it that Governor Ajimobi is still regretting the self-inflicted political injury as he completely lost out from the blast of the whistle since he unconsciously disallowed his few loyalists from contesting the party executive positions at the Ward level in the rescheduled exercise of last Sunday.
“Since the next leg will be a follow-up to the last exercise, the governor deems it necessary to frustrate those eligible to participate and the new plan is to hound our people with thugs and some compromised security agents with a view to denying them access to the Congress Committee team who would issue them nomination forms.
“Instructions have been given out to the disgruntled elements recruited for the assignment just like they did last weekend. This time, the miscreants are to be armed with more dangerous weapons, while they would operate under the protection of the state security task force (Operation Burst) to prevent prospective aspirants from obtaining forms upon payments to the designated banks.
“The new plan informed the false alarm raised in the mediaon Wednesdaywhen the governor alleged that members of the Unity Forum were plotting to burn down his properties at Oke-Ado, a section of which serves as the Party's State Secretariat. It is on this premise that those tagged as opposition to the governor within the APC would be denied access to the committee members.
“We are now using this opportunity to inform the general public that Oke-Ado house of Gov. Ajimobi has since ceased to be the state secretariat of Oyo APC and in the meantime, the Alakia South West zonal office of the Party is now in use as a temporary secretariat. The national headquarters of the APC is aware of this development and the expected congress committee team is welcome in the facility,” Olatubosun said.
Meanwhile, the Forum has also revealed that two state executive members of party left Ibadan for Abuja on Thursday to submit the alleged fake nomination forms and fictitious results of the illegal ward congress put together by the governor and his loyalists days after the exercise had been concluded and relevant documents transmitted to the APC national headquarters.
“It is not always possible to replace the truth with falsehood. Therefore, we urge the governor to stop wasting the meagre resources of the state on media propaganda and bribery of every Tom, Dick and Harry in his desperate bid to reverse the political misfortune which recently befell him,” the statement concluded.
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