Amosun and Oshiomhole

The Ogun All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee has reacted to Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s challenge to the national headquarters, insisting that the party’s Executive did not stand dissolved as directed from Abuja.

The Ogun APC Caretaker Committee said it would not join issues with anyone, including the governor, “but to breath new life into the party, promote peace and cohesion and renew the hope of our members in all the nooks and crannies of Ogun State, while being on the same page with the national body.”

This is contained in a press statement signed by Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, Publicity Secretary, APC Ogun State Caretaker Committee, saying that there is only one party according to the electoral law “and in line with the party constitution, that party, is the national headquarters of any political party.”

“Our Committee,” according to Oladunjoye, “was set up by the APC National Working Committee (NWC), an organ of the Party vested with the constitutional power to do so. We are not going to join issues with anyone, including the governor, but to breath new life into the party, promote peace and cohesion and renew the hope of our members in all the nooks and crannies of Ogun State, while being on the same page with the national body.

“Our mandate is to bring everybody together and reenergize their commitment to the party and it’s electoral victory at all levels. We will be fair and equitable to all.

“We are all members of the same house under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, we will renew, realign, and rebuild our party for total victory at the 2019 polls,by God’s grace.”

On Friday, amosun warned the National Working Committee ofm APC against the dissolution of the executive body of the party in the state. That was after APC National Working Committee (NWC), earlier in the day, announced the setting up of a caretaker committee headed by Chief Yemi Sanusi to superintend the party in the state. Mr Ayobami Olubori is the Secretary and Mr Tunde Oladunjoye the Publicity Secretary of the committee. The committee will report directly to the NWC led by the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

APC, as The Punch reported, based its decision to dissolve state executives in Ogun and Imo states on the alleged anti-party activities involving Amosun and Rochas Okorocha (Imo State governor). Amosun and Okorocha are still angry that their preferred candidates were not given the party’s governorship tickets in their state.

Amosun, who addressed members of the APC at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, declared that nothing would happen to the state executive body. The governor, who was with the embattled exco members, led by Chief Derin Adebiyi, said the body was, as The Punch put it, “created by God through the efforts of the members of the party,” insisting that the state executive members “would spend four years in office despite the purported inauguration of a caretaker committee by the NWC.”

Amosun said, “You know me by now. For me, I fear God and I respect people. So, it won’t be because we are afraid or we don’t want to talk. Where we are now, what we should concentrate on is to let them know that Ogun State is the home of President Buhari and we must vote massively for him.

“This is the home of the APC.

“We are human beings. We are no God and that is why we are telling them that in this coming election in Ogun State, it is whoever all of you (people) decide to back that will win the election.

“So, the best way to answer them is through our action. And what is the action? We will use our votes to let them know who owns Ogun State.

“So, if they are looking for a state to destroy, they should not think of Ogun State. We are ready for them.

“We don’t fear them. All of them put together, we don’t fear anybody. We fear God and we fear President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We have decided to let them be for the sake of President Buhari. If not for the President, we know what to do.

“Just ignore them. Don’t engage them for anything. Let us be focussed and redouble our efforts so that in the coming election, we are going to answer them with our votes.

“I want to assure you that this executive that God has used you to put together will be there for the next four years. They will serve their term.”

The governorship candidate of Amosun’s Allied People’s Movement (APM), Abdulkabir Akinlade, has announced the party’s adoption of Buhari as its presidential candidate in the 2019 election.