Akande: APC Parallel Congresses May Affect Party in 2019 Elections
Hammed Shittu
Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, yesterday hinted that the reported conduct of parallel congresses in some states of the federation in the just concluded state primaries of the party has the capacity to affect its fortunes in the forthcoming general elections.
Akande, a former governor of Osun State dropped the hint shortly after the launch of a 640-page autobiography of a former Leader of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Chief Wole Oke, titled: ‘Omopeninun, The Myth, The Reality’.
He, however, agreed that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was up to the task of tackling the challenges that would arise from the several parallel congresses that took place over the weekend.
Akande added: “I am expecting that the committee will look at the petitioners’ claim dispassionately and judge them based on their genuineness or otherwise.”
On the purported factionalisation of the party that might arise from the congresses, Akande said: “I think the National Executive Committee of the party is going to sort it out depending on the circumstances of each state.
“It ought not to have happened but I don’t know why they happened. Now that it has happened, it is the duty of the National Executive Committee to look at it and say this one is genuine or the other one is causing parallel congress.”
And when prodded on the possible effects of the development on the fortunes of the APC at the 2019 polls, he said: “Crisis will definitely affect the fortune of any party, but it is the duty of the party to control it.”
Apart from Akande, other dignitaries at the book launch included Governor AbdulFattah Ahmed who was represented by the Head of Service, Mrs. Susan Oluwole, a former gubernatorial aspirant, Dr. Amuda Aluko, state chairman of the PDP, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Luke Edungbola, Chief Peter Olorunishola (SAN), Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad who was represented by his deputy, as well as several state parliamentarians.
Earlier, Akande had revealed how he used to look at civilians who engaged the military junta in liberation war as ‘foolish’ but that seeing how they had succeeded in entrenching democratic governance in the country he had now changed his views about them.
Both Akande as well as Governor Ahmed described the author, who once served as Secretary of the pro –democracy group, NADECO in the state as a man of outstanding qualities, a committed community developer, nationalist and great political fighter.
A former governor of the state and leading figure in the NADECO movement, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, who was the Chairman of the occasion, expressed satisfaction that Oke’s life and involvement with opposition politicking had established the fact that lining community development to being members of the ruling party in a state is a misconception.