A group, Progressives Democrat Front (PDF), has called on Chief Akin Oke, the Oyo State Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to release the results of July 31 Ward Congresses in the state.
This is contained in a statement signed by the group’s acting State Coordinator, Mr Michael Adeagbo, on Sunday in Ibadan.
Adeagbo-led group urged Oke to release the names as contained in the copies submitted to him for the National Secretariat of APC to do the needful within the next 48 hours.
The PDF’s warning came barely few days after similar groups in the party raised an alarm over the allegation of manipulation.
Adeagbo said that it was highly necessary for the CCECC under Buni not to allow a clique within the party to have their ways of discrediting a hitch-free exercise.
He said that the clique should not be allowed to upturn the success recorded so far in Oyo APC, saying “anything to the contrary would be tantamount to playing with naked fire”.
Adeagbo said, “some forces and influential members are behind the alleged manipulation of the ward congress results.”
He then urged the state and national leadership of the party not to allow such “dastardly act or risk the consequences of their actions”.
The group’s acting coordinator alleged that the forces were bent on replacing the names of elected party officials in most of the 351 Wards across the state with those that belong to their camp.
He said that the state caretaker committee chairman “erred by putting too much trust in the Gambo Lawan-led Committee deployed for the Ward Congress”.
According to him, the committee ought to have announced all the names of new Ward Executive Committee members in Ibadan before their departure.
Adeagbo then urged the Lawan-led committee to have a rethink and reverse whatever form of manipulation they might have done to the original lists submitted to them by the 33 local government electoral officers.
Adeagbo said that all the group wanted from everyone was to play the game according to the laid down rules and without violating democratic the principles as well as ethos.
When contacted, Oke described the allegations from various groups as “mere speculative”, calling on all to remain calm.
He said results of the congress would be officially made available, adding the list with him can’t be regarded as official. (NAN)
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