By: Tolulope Oluwole
The Appeal Committee set up by the National Secretariat of All Progressives Congress (APC) on petitions and grievances that emanated from the state congress of the party in Ondo state, today ended its sitting in Akure with no petition submitted to it and thereby validated the election of the state APC executives.
Addressing newsmen at the Party’s State Secretariat in Akure, the state capital, the five-man committee led by Mrs Yetunde Adeniji explained that there was no petition filed by any member of the party throughout the sitting of the committee.
Adeniji who declared that the Committee had concluded its assignment without receiving any petition from members of the party said that the congress in the state was rancour-free.
The Congress produced Hon. Ade Adetimehin led executives of the party which was held two weeks ago in Akure, the State capital in a peaceful atmosphere.
Adeniji said that the Committee met with the leadership of the party and some critical stakeholders in the party cutting across the 18 local government areas of the state, saying the party in the state adopted consensus mode of Congress and made the exercise a rancour-free.
The committee chairman said this has shown that the party had probably used internal mechanisms to resolve all differences that might have come up during the congress.
She said “We (Appeal Committee) arrived in the state and we met with the leadership in the state and critical stakeholders from all 18 local government areas of the state.
“We waited for any member who was aggrieved in respect of the state congress of our party, but no one showed up with any petition all through our stay.
“From our observation, we realised there was a strong synergy between the state government and the party which made the party had a peaceful congress.
“We commend Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for the existing unity among members of the party in the state. We will report this at the national secretariat,” Adeniji said.
Mr Dauda Adamu, one of the committee members said that there was no petition from any aggrieved party, stressing that Ondo State is a one family and there is a synergy between the state government and the independent executive of the party.
His words “with what we have witnessed here, we could clearly see that the state government operates independently while the executives of the party also operates independently.
“However, they try as much as possible to create a synergy that will foster the unity of the great people of Ondo state, we are grateful to be part of this wonderful people, we have been treated well and we look forward to a greater and more beneficial relationship.
“As Ondo state remains united, I hope that the national will also find a way to reach out to aggrieved party. I can attest that Ondo state is a very wonderful state and it’s a shining example to the rest of the states in Nigeria, as far as APC is concerned,” Adamu said.
Mr Cletus Obun, who is also one of the committee members stated that there is always a congress committee appeal committee, which is in the party’s constitution and guidelines, Stressing that the second stage was for the state congress, in that place state were allowed to choose between consensus and direct congress and 99% of the adopted the consensus.
“What happened here was a synergy between state government and the party, it is only APC that does that, what has happened in Ondo state is exemplary, it is unprecedented and I think it is what the rest of the country must emulate”.
Members of the Appeal Committee include; Hon. Olusegun, Adamu Dauda, Cletus Obun and Victor Karounwi.
The appeal committee was constituted in line with article 19 and 21 of the party’s constitution.
