Osun APC Ward Congress: Committee Gives Self Pass Mark As Group Flaws Exercise

The Chairman of the Osun State National Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ward Congress, Gbenga Elegbeleye has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the congresses held over the weekend, describing it as a huge success.

Elegbeleye also reiterated that the exercise was carried out in line with the principles and guidelines of the party as enshrined in its Constitution and in accordance with the directive of the national leadership of the APC.

While addressing a press conference in Osogbo, Monday, at the state party secretariat, the Committee Chairman disclosed that only candidates who collected nomination forms, passed through the screening process and participated in the congress were declared winners.

He also debunked insinuations making the round that members of the Committee did not meet with stakeholders of the party before the exercise, adding that those peddling such insinuations were on a self-serving motive.

Elegbeleye disclosed that the Committee met with stakeholders of the Osun APC, including the governor, three former deputy governors, serving members of the National Assembly, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, among other key stakeholders of the party.

He stated that it would be hypocritical of any discerning mind and member of the party to say that those whom the Committee met with are not stakeholders of the APC in Osun, adding that they met with known leaders of the party.

He maintained that since the committee acted on the mandate from the National Secretariat, there is no way those who were not eligible could be declared as winners.

“I have the forms of each of the three senatorial districts with me and I am using this opportunity, on behalf of my colleagues in Congress Committee to declare those who were screened as elected representatives and new executive of each of the wards they represent,” he said.

Meanwhile, The Osun Progressives (TOP), a group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has described as lie which stands against all logic, the comment of the Chairman of the Osun State Ward Congress Committee, Gbenga Elegbeleye.

The TOP Chairman Adelowo Adebiyi charged Elegbeleye to tell the whole world where, when and who conducted the screening for 35 persons in each of the 30 Local Governments and one Area Office.

He called on Elegbeleye to tell the world how he managed to screen the number of contestants running to several thousands when his committee arrived Osogbo on the eve of the ward congresses and how he was able to produce the list of those who supervised the congress in each of the 332 wards other than the Governor’s group, IleriOluwa who were harassing and intimidating hapless party members in most wards where elections were held.

He noted that it was sad that the representatives of the highly referred and reputable National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC will descend so low to tell a bare-faced lie in order to cover the illegality they called Ward Congress.

The TOP Chairman who stressed that Elegbeleye did more damage to the fragile image of the party than he met it with his mischievous misconduct of the Saturday ward Congress, accused him of not acting in the party’s interest and maintained that the press conference which was aimed at changing the well-known iniquity committed on Saturday 31st of July, 2021 was against democratic norms and dead on arrival.

He requested that the national executives of the party should reject whatever fake report brought to them by Elegbeleye, adding that he obviously abandoned the assignment he was sent to do and colluded with Governor Oyetola and his group, IleriOluwa, probably on account of some lucre changing hands to do evil in the name of conducting ward congress.