Kunle Adelabu
The State Reconciliation Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has commended the leadership of the party in Ikorodu Division and the aspirants for the management of the fallout of the party’s Chairmanship and Councillorship primary elections.
The team led by Dr Lateef Ibirogba, APC Organising Secretary, Southwest, also commended the aspirants for accepting the decision of the party and charged them to work for its victory.
The team met with the party leaders, candidates and aspirants across the six Local Government and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) at the country home of the apex leader in the Division and the former Deputy Governor, Sir (Prince) Abiodun Ogunleye.
While Dr. Ibirogba also assured the aspirants that accepted the party’s directive to withdraw that they would get their money back, he also responded to requests by some of the aspirants that only the state party chairman that can determine if others too that went into the primary election will be given back their money.
“The party has not defrauded anyone, but it is a process that started with selling of forms, screening and we conducted the primary elections. After the primary, we allowed appeal and after the appeal we are embarking on reconciliation and we are preparing for an election.
“It was after that that we could talk about refunds to those that withdrew. We have stipulated time that the LASIEC has given us for submission. In view of all these, it is not possible to start refunding money.
“We have not defrauded anybody. We stand by the idea that those that complied with the party’s directive and withdrew will get their refund and not those that insisted and contested the primary.
“But, I don’t have the power to accommodate others that did not take advantage of the window given by the party” he said.
He also assured them that they will reward loyal party members while charging them to work for the party’s victory.
Speaking with our reporter, Dr Ibirogba, stressed that the meeting with leaders and party members is to bring members together towards victory in the coming elections.
“It was about getting to know who our flag bearers are and to know the needful in preparing for the elections and the process of preparing an election starts from the reconciliation. All our members have to be brought back into the party’s fold because there has been competitions and winners have emerged and all of us have to work together as one – big – happy – family.
“That is what we have come to do in Ikorodu. We have setup committees to go round the three Senatorial Districts of Lagos for ease of coverage. We divided Lagos West into two. Lagos West I covers Ikeja Division and West II covers Badagry Division.
“We are here, taken on the six councils in Ikorodu together to speak with our people and we are happy with what we have seen. It shows that our leaders are not sleeping. After the elections, they called all the aspirants, introduced our flag bearers to them and sought their cooperation towards the election.
“It shows from testimonies of all our aspirants that they are in tandem and agreeing with the position of our leaders that no election is won alone; everybody is important when it comes to an election. Everybody must work together as a team and one family
“We just told them that everybody should go back to their wards and collapse all the groups that are existing into the APC as we all do. I am really not seeing any problem in our election coming up on July 12”, the reconciliation committee chairman said.
Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, former Deputy Governor, speaking said that the leadership of the party in Ikorodu acted within the directive of the state body leading to the primary elections that produced candidates.
He stressed that only a few of those that aspired emerged as candidates which necessitated the need for reconciliation which the leadership has also been embarking upon.
Chairman, reconciliation committee in Ikorodu Division, Asiwaju Kaoli Olusanya, said that the parley is one of the ways that APC is bringing members of the party together after the primary elections to have a formidable team going into the LG elections.
“This is one of the mechanisms in the party; to sooth aggrieved nerves and appeal for the cooperation and collaboration of all that has shown interest and the stakeholders and this is also a way to mobilise and give them recognition.
“It is to recognize the efforts, resources and energy that they have put into the election and galvanise all those resources into one united powerful force so that we can go into the general elections and have a good turnout,” the party leader said.
He described the meeting as a big step for the party which he said would result into desirable outcome
“What we have done today is a big achievement for the party. That we have been able to recognize all those that have shown interests in the party and bring them together; listen to them effectively; hear their own perspective and input them as part of the planning process.
“When we do that, everybody will feel belonged and carried along and surely, it will result in good electoral performance. That is what we have done”.
Meanwhile, some chairmanship aspirants that spoke at the meeting included Comrade Japhet Odesanya, Princess Folashade Olabanji – Oba, Mr Oladele Ogunfodunrin, Mr Sesan Odueyigbo, Dr. Adejo Jimi, Hon. Sesan Dada, Mr Shakiru Seidu and Mr Sola Opeyemi, and a few of the Councillorship aspirants commended the state party team for the meeting while also stressing that they have accepted the party’s decision and agreed to work for it’s victory.
However, they made demands for refund of nomination forms for all the aspirants, improvement on party’s reward system, adequate funding for party’s candidate, consideration for gender, empowering stakeholders,
Other members of the panel that met with the party leaders and aspirants were Chief (Dr.) Sumbo Onitiri and Mrs Folashade Bakare.
Some of the other party leaders in Ikorodu at the meeting were Otunba Olasunkanmi Tijani Jimoh, Divisional APC Chairman, Bashorun Babatunde Rotinwa, former Chairman, Lagos State Local Government Service Commission, Alhaji Fatai Lasisi, Member, Lagos State Civil Service Commission, Hon. Saheed Hassan, former Chairman, Ijede LCDA Hon. Gbenga Oshin, former member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Prince Lanre Balogun, former Commissioner for Rural Development, Chief (Mrs) Adebimpe Akinsola, former Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Alhaji Animashaun, Chairman, APC Ikorodu LGA, Dr. Titi Onafowokan, APC chieftain, Otunba Bayo Lawson, APC Chairman, Ikorodu West LCDA, Dr (Mrs) Lanre Dixon, APC chieftain, Mr Lanre Kuye, Director of Information & Public Relations, LASUSTECH, Hon. Gbolahan Ogunleye, representative of Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. Motunrayo Gbadebo – Alogba, Chairman, Ijede LCDA, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, Chairman, Ikorodu LG, and Hon. Sulaimon Kazeem Olanrewaju, Chairman, Ikorodu West LCDA among others.
