Daud Olatunji
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ohunbe Ward, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, have protested what they described as the imposition of a councillorship candidate for the forthcoming local government elections.
The leaders have called on the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, to urgently intervene in the matter to prevent a crisis within the party.
Speaking with PLATFORM TIMES, Hon. Mathew Adegbite, who spoke on behalf of other leaders in Ohunbe Ward, expressed disappointment over the replacement of their chosen candidate, Edun Oluwasogo Blessing, with another individual who, according to them, is not even a member of the APC in their ward.
“The issue of the local government election in our ward is a matter of serious concern,” Adegbite said.
“We were asked by the party leadership to meet and select a candidate for the councillorship position.
In our ward, we have a longstanding tradition of rotating the councillorship position among the different zones. As of today, three units—Moro, Igbooro, and Isinku—have not produced a councilor.”
Adegbite explained that after several meetings and deliberations, the leaders of Ohunbe Ward selected Edun Oluwasogo Blessing from Moro Unit as their consensus candidate. His candidacy was ratified by all 22 ward leaders and was submitted to the local government party office in line with the party’s guidelines.
However, Adegbite disclosed that to their shock, the local government chairman later submitted a different list containing the name of a candidate unknown to the ward leaders.
“To my surprise, the local government chairman sent a list which contained another name. None of us knew this person, and he is not even a member of our party from our ward. The individual is not from our unit and does not cast his vote here. His name was imposed on us by some party leaders at the local government level,” Adegbite said.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the alleged imposition of the unknown candidate has reportedly caused tension within the ward, with many party members fearing it could destabilise the APC in the area ahead of the election.
“We have sent an appeal to the governor and are still waiting for a response,” Adegbite continued.
“We don’t want a situation where some people sit down and impose their will on the rest of us, leading to a crisis in the party. The leaders in the ward have agreed on Edun Oluwasogo Blessing, and we are pleading with the party and Governor Abiodun to respect our decision.”
Seventeen APC leaders from Ohunbe Ward have also signed a petition, protesting the imposition of the new candidate and urging the party leadership to take immediate action to resolve the issue.
They warned that if the situation is not addressed, it could have a negative impact on the party’s chances in the forthcoming local government election.
The protest letter, dated 20 September 2024, was addressed to the State Party Chairman through the Secretary to the State Government and copied to the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and the Yewa North Local Government Party Chairman.
The leaders reiterated their call for Governor Abiodun’s intervention to ensure that the will of the people in Ohunbe Ward is respected.
As the local government elections draw nearer, tensions remain high in Ohunbe Ward, with party members anxiously awaiting the response of the state APC leadership and Governor Abiodun to their petition.
The leaders have vowed to continue their peaceful protest until the issue is resolved.
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