By TIMOTHY AGBOR, Osogbo

Ahead of the 2022 governorship election in Osun State, the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has taken a new turn, with some leaders of the party accusing the caretaker chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun, of ruining the party.

The stakeholders, who formed a splinter group, The Osun Progressives (TOP), said Famodun has murdered cohesion and unity in the party, noting that he displayed a similar attitude in 2018, which almost caused the party grief during the last governorship election.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Adelowo Adebiyi, yesterday, the stakeholders said TOP was formed to ensure that APC does not suffer electoral loss in the 2022 governorship election in the state.

The Guardian gathered that some notable leaders that formed TOP include the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yussuf; former speaker of the House of Assembly, Najeem Salam and Comrade Gbenga Awosode.

They called on leaders of the party “especially Chief Bisi Akande, Governor Gboyega Oyetola and Igbimo Agba to call Famodun and others of his type to order in view of his unguarded utterances, which is irresponsibly divisive and unacceptable in the comity of civilised world.”

The statement added: “Famodun’s inability to demonstrate needed capacity expected of him as the chairman of the party towards the 2018 governorship election nearly caused the party grief.

“No dispassionate chairman would have allowed defection from his party a few weeks to critical election as Famodun did in 2018.

Rather than demonstrating father figure to all contending forces within the party, he chose to take sides in all matters and destroy party cohesion and unity.

“As we speak today, Famodun is at war with his two predecessors, the current deputy and secretary, the minister and other notables in the party. Famodun cannot differentiate between monarchical inheritance and a democratic organisation, where multiple interests are aggregated to ensure the good of all, which is the essence of a political party.

“The above-stated reason is responsible for the problems in the party today and therefore we at the TOP wishes to note that his kind of person is unfit to handle party management as would be expected.”

The group said they would work towards the promotion of internal democracy, effective and efficient party management, remobilisation, reconciliation and networking, which would aid the party’s victory in 2022.

Reacting to the development, Famodun noted that the management of the party was not vested in a pressure group, adding that if the group has any idea that could be of benefit to the party, they should channel it through appropriate authority.

He noted that the new faction was absurd and unrecognised, adding that no one would be allowed to rebel against the party’s leadership.

“The constitution of the party doesn’t recognise any splinter group within the entity called APC in this country. The man that signed the statement is the leader of the party. There is no role for the former acting chairman in the management of the party. As a leader of the party, if you believe in a cause, there are organs of the party through which such grievances could be channeled. But when you go outside all those structures or you don’t believe in those structures again, then don’t consider yourself as a member of the party anymore. You cannot rebel against a constituted authority within the party,” he added.

Meanwhile, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Yussuf, in a statement by his aide, Prof. Aderemi Ajala, distanced himself from the group, saying he does not belong to the same political bloc as Aregbesola. (The Guardian)

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