Members of the Osun Progressives (TOP) have called on Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to reject the outcome of the ward congresses held in the State in its entirety.
While describing the exercise as a sham, the APC faction narrated how the Osun State Government allegedly manipulated the exercise.
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The group, which is loyal to the Minister of Interior and former governor of Osun State, in a statement signed by its coordinator, Adelowo Adebiyi, expressed sadness that the representatives of the National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC “will descend so low to tell a bare-faced lie in order to cover the illegality they called Ward Congress.”
The statement described the excercise supervised by Gbenga Elegbeleye-led committee deployed from the APC national secretariat as a sham.
The group claimed that the Governor Gboyega Oyetola-led Ilerioluwa faction of the APC compromised members of the Elegbeleye-led Ward Congress Committee to do its bidding.
“Elegbeleye said that it was only those who obtained forms that were screened and had congress conducted for and we say it is a white lie which stands all logics on its head.
“May it please Elegbeleye to tell the whole world where, when and who conducted the screening for 35 persons in each of the 30 local governments and one Area Office?
“It will be necessary too for Elegbeleye to tell the world, how he managed to screen the number of contestants running to several thousand when his committee arrived Osogbo on Friday evening with the congress commencing in the morning of Saturday, July 31, 2021. What a liar!
“Elegbeleye will do well to tell the whole world and produce the list of those who supervised the Congress in each of the 332 wards other than the Governor’s group, IleriOluwa who were harassing and intimidating hapless party members in most wards where elections were held.
“It is intriguing that Elegbeleye supervised a sensitive assignment like the holding of Ward Congress without seeing or talking to the State Party Secretary who is the custodian of party documents and claimed that he had a successful assignment.
“May we use this opportunity to tell the men of integrity running the party in Abuja to reject whatever fake report brought to them by Elegbeleye who obviously abandoned the assignment he was sent to do…
“Elegbeleye did more damage to the fragile image of our party than he met it with his mischievous misconduct of the Saturday ward Congress and we note that it is not in the party’s interest that he has acted.”
The group had earlier accused the governor of hijacking the nomination forms sent from the national headquarters of the party for the Ward Congress.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to governor Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan, debunked the allegations by the group.
In a Watsapp message, he said the governor did not manipulate the ward congress, adding that “the committee’s chairman also addressed the issue [hijacking of nomination forms and officials from the national headquarters] during the stakeholders’ meeting held on Friday evening, shortly after their arrival.”
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