The leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State chapter had on Tuesday called for calm and cooperation amongst its members in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area as well as in Ori-Ade Local Council Development Area.
The State chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi alongside Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Hon. Fuad Oki, Chief Rabiu Oluwa were among leaders of the party at a summit organised by party chieftains from the two local governments held in Festac, made the clarion call for peace to avoid further polarisation of the party within the area.
It would be recalled that during the 2023 general elections, the ruling party lost to the Labour Party. The loss was one of the let downs the party experienced in the last elections to the opposition, making the two council areas the only places where the opposition always records victory.
However, Obanikoro, Oki, Ojelabi and other party chieftains chided party members within the areas for causing disunity which has affected the fortune of the party in past elections.
Speaking at the summit, Fuad Oki said the loss of APC in Amuwo-Odofin and Ori-Ade council areas at the 2023 elections was as a result of differences and infighting among party members in the area.
He lamented that the party has always been losing in the two council areas, noting that as another election approaches, the party will still lose if conflicts are not resolved now.
“Everyone here knows why we are losing. In the 2023 elections, the results we achieved were not what we had hoped for. They were profound disappointments. Our supporters were left disappointed. If the local government election is held today, our party will still not win unless we are determined and work together,” he said.
He added: “Some members still have grievances. If you are not disciplined, you cannot be a loyal party member.”
Oki urged party members in the two council areas to forgive one another and resolve their differences. He told the party leaders to be friendly and fair to all.
“We must prioritise values like equity, fairness and cultivate an environment ripe for growth and unity. Let’s build a party that reflects the significance of Amuwo-Odofin Local government and Ori-Ade LCDA. We must understand that party loyalty is important. Stop fighting. You are one of our problems in the state. Why must we have disunity in your local governments? You must change for the better,” he urged.
The State Chairman of APC, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi advised the party members in the councils to have attitudinal change. He called for unity among the party members.
He told the party leaders they should be ashamed of the party’s losses to the opposition party in the 2023 election in Amuwo-Odofin.
Member of the Governance Advisory Council, GAC, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro admonished the party members to make sacrifices for the party.
“There is no political party where there won’t be a crisis because politics itself is about conflict resolution. Sacrifice is part of the game. Everyone of you must hold the party in your local governments for everyone’s glory,” Obanikoro said.
The chairman, Amuwo-Odofin Local government, Valentine Buraimoh, said the summit was to channel a new part for the party in the area.
“We must do everything to make our party stand tall. We should purge our minds. We should define a way forward for our party,” Valentine said.
A two-time House of Representatives member who represented Amuwo-Odofin, Hon. Ogene Egoh hinted that tribal differences in Amuwo-Odofin are a major factor in deciding election outcomes in Amuwo-Odofin.
He, however, urged party members to come together and bury their differences and work for the success of the party.
