Oyo APC: Three Power Blocs Endorse “New Zoning Formula”, One Rejects It

Oyo APC: Three Power Blocs Endorse “New Zoning Formula”, One Rejects It.

Facts have emerged on  how the stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress(APC), in Oyo State have endorsed the proposal of the Chairman, Chief Akin Oke on zoning the Chairmanship of the party to Ibarapa zone of the state.

The stakehokders meeting was held at the secretariat of the party, yesterday, in  Ibadan and it drew more than 90% of those who were invited to the meeting although, some prominent leaders like former Governor Adebayo Alao- Akala, Senator Fatai Buhari and Senator Teslim Folarin were conspicuously absent. Meanwhile, virtually all the leaders who were absent, however, sent representatives.

The meeting opened with the Party Chairman, Chief Oke reading out the proposal for the zoning of 36 state party offices. The highlight of the proposed zoning arrangement is the zoning of Chairman and Deputy State Women Leader to Ibarapa Zone, Deputy Chairman and Welfare Secretary to Oke Ogun 1, Secretary and Assistant Organising Secretary to Oyo, Youth Leader and State Financial Secretary to Ogbomosho, Publicity Secretary and Women Leader  to Ibadan Less City, State Treasurer and Senatorial Women Leader to Ibadan City. Each local government is allotted at least, one office, according to a credible source from the meeting.

Many sources from the meeting disclosed that from contributions on the floor,it seems clear that three of the four major power blocs in the party have endorsed the proposal of the Chairman. The blocs are; “Ajimobi Leadership Forum whose support was expressed by the former Secretary to the State Government(SSG), during the administration of late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Alhaji Olalekan Ali, Unity Forum which spoke through Senator Ayoade Adeseun and the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP that spoke through Alhaji Sharafadeen Alli.

However,this Newspaper, Africano Trumpeters reliably gathered that “Akala/Folarin” bloc reportedly opposed the proposal, forcefully, through Mr Wale Ohu, Alhaji Waheed Adeleke Akogun, Barrister Lowo Obisesan and Hon Murphy Adigun.

A source maintained that while they did not oppose the zoning of the office of Chairman to Ibarapa, they queried the party  Chairman on where he derived his power to do a zoning proposal, the reiterated why he did not involve members of his executive committee and why he did not take the proposal to the “Elders Advisory Committee  led by former Governor Adebayo Alao Akala”.

Chief Oke was reportedly called upon to address the issues. According to different sources, the Chairman explained that the choice of Ibarapa was informed by the need for equity in the party. He reportedly explained that Ogbomosho,Oyo and Oke Ogun zones had produced Chairman of the progressives party at different times leaving only Ibadan and Ibarapa as zones that have not produced a chairman. He noted that he decided to choose Ibarapa so that the party will not shoot gubernatorial aspirants from Ibadan out of the race. He further explained that Ibarapa is disadvantaged by population thereby making it difficult to produce a gubernatorial or Senatorial candidate. He noted that the chairmanship will give people of the area a sense of belonging in the party.

Although his explanation reportedly calmed nerves but the complaint that he failed to involve former Governor Akala in the proposal persisted. This reportedly  led to the proposal that the observations made on the proposal should be addressed and the Chairman along the seven zonal leaders should consult Governor Akala and the two former Deputy Governors in the party, Barrister Iyiola Oladokun and Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo.

“The meeting was largely successful. There were complaints by some zones that what they were given was inadequate and the zonal elders were asked to look into the complaints. It is welcoming that there was no single complaint about the zoning of the office of Chairman to Ibarapa. What is left is crossing the i’s and the t’s because three of the four tendencies in the party publicly endorsed the proposal by the Chairman. Even the Akala/Folarin did not question the choice of Ibarapa. They only complained that former  Governor Akala was not given due recognition in the process and the meeting has asked the elders to do so”, a source.