Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged its members and supporters to put behind them the last governorship election loss and start working immediately towards wresting power from the opposition party in 2023. 

However, the party said it would challenge the outcome of the general election in places where it felt there were glaring irregularities.

These were the highlights of the communiqué issued at the end of the expanded meeting of APC leaders drawn from the 33 local government areas of the state, which was presided over by the Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, at the Government House, Ibadan, on Monday.

At the meeting were the Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Adeyemo; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olagunju Ojo; state Chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke, as well as its governorship candidate in the March 9 election, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.

Also among the 289 attendees were members of the state executive council of the party, zonal leaders from Ibarapa, Oke Ogun, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Ido, Ibadan, local government chairmen of the party, secretaries, as well as victorious and defeated candidates of the party in the general election.

Passing a vote of confidence in the Ajimobi-led administration, the APC said it was impressed by its unprecedented achievements and impressive performance in its historic eight-year tenure.

The communiqué by the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde, urged members to be happy and take solace in the feat already recorded by the progressives, having been opportune to rule the state for eight unbroken years. 

It reads, “Meeting urged members to walk tall and be cheerful because this is the first time the progressives would be opportune to have eight unbroken successive years of governance since the era of the Western Region. The party resolved to embrace genuine reconciliation and frown upon SENACO and LAMIST factionalization. The party warns its members to avoid buck passing and blame game, but rather chart roadmap to 2023 in earnest. The party decides to challenge election results where it felt unconvinced with the released results. Elected party candidates are urged to embrace regular interface with party members, avoid the temptation of abandoning the party, while more members are assured of Federal Government’s patronage more than ever before”.

The APC expressed gratitude to the people of the state for the opportunity given to the party to serve them from 2011 to date and also for electing two of its three senatorial candidates, nine out of its 14 House of Representatives candidates, as well as five House of Assembly candidates.

In the communiqué, the APC resolved to offer formidable opposition to the incoming administration to deepen delivery of democracy and good governance for the greatest good of the citizenry of the state.