The Ekiti State chapter All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has set-up a 10-man panel to reconcile warring tendencies across different levels of the party in the state.
The committee, constituted in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday evening by the Barr. Paul Omotosho-led State Working Committee was chaired by former APC State Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, while Mr. Biodun Akin-Fasae, ex-Special Adviser, Governor’s office to Governor Kayode Fayemi, is the Secretary.
Other members are: Mrs. Ronke Okusanya, Mr. Abiodun Ajayi, Engr.Tunde Fakoyede and Mr Tayo Ekundayo, Hon Niyi Olajide and Alhaji Teslim Animasahun.
The ruling party has been split into two factions; one camp is led by Governor Kayode Fayemi, while the other is led by the Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu.
The two camps are at each other’s jugular over their desperate quest to control the party’s soul ahead of future elections in the state.
Apparently perturbed by the exchange of fiery verbal warfare among the aggrieved leaders and its future implications, the APC has constituted a reconciliation panel to reconcile the political warlords.
In a statement signed by the party and made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, the APC Chairman, Barr. Paul Omotosho the composition of the troubleshooting panel became pertinent considering the fact that the party has been embroiled in crises that needed to be abated in due course.
Omotosho noted that all the winning streaks of the party at the polls in 2019 were actualised as a result of unity of purpose and togetherness, which he advised should be maintained for the APC to remain formidable.
“The move to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party has commenced about a year ago. The executive arm of the party has started visiting perceived aggrieved members at various levels, but the Coronavirus pandemic served as a clog in the wheel.
“We inaugurated this committee in order to put our house in order and to lay all the squabbles and misunderstanding to rest. All of us are one and there shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t settle our differences using internal mechanism”.
Reading the terms of reference to the committee, Omotoso explained that the party won’t teleguide the committee, since its kernel is to ensure that peace returns to the party in the state.
“We can still see that some members are in court. Let them withdraw all the cases in court in the spirit of unity. I charge the Committee to work assiduously and ensure that such members jettison litigation in our own interest, because we have nothing to benefit in the atmosphere of rancour.
“There’s no political party that is as big as APC that won’t have some agitations. But whatever members are having against the party or individuals, who are equally members of the party, we must be able to put an end to such,so that we can see ourselves as a family and work as a team for us to be able to record successes in the forth coming elections”.
After inauguration, Awe, who reacted on behalf of the Committee, assured the State working Committee that they would maintain neutrality and resolve all the pending issues bedeviling the party diligently.
“Whatever that would take the committee to ensure that peace is restored in our party would be done by this committee, even if it requires me to prostrate before the aggrieved members, I will not hesitate to do so.
“I had once been an aggrieved member and I know how it was. As a veteran in the game, we are going to use our wealth of experiences to bring the party together in Ekiti .
“There’s no way you can be happy , when you have contributed so much and that your contribution is not well recognized, you will be aggrieved.
“I led this party for 12 years through thick and thin, for now, I ought to have enjoyed a national patronage from this party, we are in government, but it would be calamitous on my own part to be fighting the party and suffer another political defeat. We have to come together and solve these problems.”