The Appeal Committee set up by the national body, All Progressives Congress (APC) to hear complaints and petitions arising from the recently conducted ward congress in Ogun State has moved to reconcile two main factions within the party.
The committee mission was to resolve internal crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State ahead of 2023 general elections, and with the view to retain the party seat at Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office in 2023 and beyond.
It could be recalled that party members loyal to immediate past governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and those of the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun held seperate congresses across the 236 political wards in the state.
This prompted complaints and petitions from duo of Senators Tolu Odebiyi, Ogun West and his compatriot from Ogun East, Senator Lekan Mustapha respectively, as well as all the 20 elected party chairmen on the platform of APC in 2018, being submitted at the National Secretariat of APC.
Segun Ojo, the Chairman of the five-man Appeal Committee while addressing at a media conference held in Abeokuta on Thursday, revealed that the committee was constituted by the national body of the party to resolve all issues surrounding the conduct of the ward congress election.
He stated: “We are in the state to meet with members of our party that are aggrieved as a result of the conduct of the party’s ward congress. We are given the mandate by the national body of APC to resolve all outstanding issues as members of the same family.
“We will listen to all issues raised as regard the congress. The party in the state is not factionalised. Nobody has established any crisis within the party.”
Meanwhile, the committee chairman also informed that they had listened carefully to all the petitioners and those in defence.
He told newsmen that petitions were received from both Senator Tolu Odebiyi and Senator Lekan Mustapha, both representing Ogun West and East in the National Assembly; elected party chairmen in 2018 and some members of the congress committee.
“We attended to all the petitioners till late night on Wednesday, and we will be here to listen to any other. All the petitioners have the interest of the party at heart. They want the party to be strong and united.
“There’s no acrimony in the party in the State. APC is in government in the state and we will not allow anyone to disrupt the peace of the state or disorganise the party.” he concluded.
