Senator Adegbenga Sefiu Kaka
Kaka: Let us prevent Amosun from destroying our Party
By Senator Adegbenga Sefiu Kaka
SOURCE:
(a). Daily Sun Newspaper, Monday, Jan. 13th, 2014. Page 54.
(b). Vanguard Newspaper, Monday, Jan. 13th, 2014. Page 50.
(c). Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, Monday, 13th Jan; 2014. Page 9.
We have displayed enormous restraint and exceptional tolerance all this while, hoping that a CHANGE of attitude positively will prevail in Ogun State, especially with the birth of APC that provides ample opportunity for a clean break from the vindictive, intemperate, oppressive, divisive and annihilating dictatorial style of the administration of Gov. Ibikunle Amosun.
The callous style, if not checked, will destroy our great Party, All Progressives Congress, in Ogun State beyond redemption for the following reasons:
1. Sustained marginalisation against ACN/APC members in all appointive and elective positions in the State since 2011, as well as employment/empowerment opportunities, in preference for opportunist converts, filial connection to the Governor, and of course loyalty to his SIA formation rather than the Party. This is in line with his antecedents of destroying and disorganising the structure of any political party he joined, as was the case with PDP, ANPP, CPC, ACN and now APC with Accord Party (AP) being his new beautiful bride.
2. Complete marginalisation, disrespect, disregard and open contempt for all other ACN/APC elected representatives, including the entire National Assembly members, more than half of the State House of Assembly members and of course the Deputy Governor, who is the highest official or nominee of the Ogun East Senatorial District in his cabinet.
This has put the support base of our Party on the line in 9 (nine) Local Governments and beyond.
3. In breach of the constitutional provisions for Federal Character reflection in all appointments at all tiers of government, Ogun State Government with 20 LGAs appointed 20 Commissioners, with 4 and 3 of them from Abeokuta North (where the Governor hails from) and Ijebu-Ode LGAs respectively. Thus leaving 5 LGAs with no Commissionership representation in his government.
4. Emasculating the Local Governments - making them redundant.
5. Coercion and violence deployment to force Party faithfuls to belong to his SIA group and consequently disrupting Party meetings of Wards, LGAs and Constituencies with violence, except his SIA formation.
In fact, a Party ‘elder’ insisted severally that permission to hold Senatorial meeting must be sought from the Governor, so that his SIA group will not come to disrupt the meetings.
6. The latest of such violence was displayed on Thursday, 9th January at the APC State Secretariat, Abeokuta when thugs led by Alhaji Akeem Adeosun (JANGO), Chairman NURTW Ogun State and a core loyalist of Governor Amosun were freely unleashed on the residents, Party members and journalists (with the video cameras and telephone handsets smashed and confiscated), just to disrupt the inauguration of the Harmonisation Committee, which he had delayed for over 5 months because of his insatiable appetite to have absolute control of members, after the Interim Executive had conceded 5 of 9 members nomination and Chairmanship of the 5 member Interim State Executive to him and his Governor colleagues.
7. Making unwarranted and nauseating claims that APC in Ogun State belongs to him and anybody not ready to dance to his tunes will be chased out of the party. Even after the mayhem unleashed at the Secretariat and in a futile attempt at apologising and arrogantly but deceptively offering hands of fellowship, he was quoted as saying:
(a). “The governor said that the composition of the Harmonization Committee was done in error and described it as an effort in futility”
(b). “Majority of the people who were there yesterday were not at the meeting where the decision was taken”
(c). “So the committee they are talking about should have been in place about 4-6months back, BUT SOMEHOW, ‘it didn’t happen and because of the urgency, we are now going into registration. I’m sure registration will start next week”
The question is, who deployed the delay tactics and for what reasons? And why was the same inauguration done on Monday, January 6th in Ekiti State; Tuesday 7th in Ondo State and Taraba State on January 9th (the same day the Ogun State inauguration held).
(d). “They don’t know what I know and may be that was what caused the communication gap. Of course, our party leadership in its wisdom, wanted to have, not even the names they were calling there, they were not there; I was there” :- (Tribune, Jan. 11th 2014).
Yet, Chief Olusegun Osoba, State Leader of ACN/APC and Chief Yemi Sanusi (former ANPP Leader and Current National Interim Executive member) were always in the same National meetings with the Governor.
The 37-member list of State Harmonization Committee is widely circulated, on the strength of which the Governor mobilised and camped in Continental Suites, Abeokuta, his alleged loyal supporters for 2 days in readiness for the inauguration for which he personally chose the date and time.
A case of a bad loser, destroying everything in sight to satisfy his insatiable appetite for absolute power and winner takes all syndrome.
8. The fact is, the last meeting of the National Interim National Executive meeting of APC was held in Abuja on 17th December, 2013, which Governor Amosun did not attend, where it was unanimously agreed that inauguration of State Harmonization Committee must precede membership registration; - now we know what he doesn’t know.
9. Even when APC National Secretariat has not given any directives on membership registration, Gov Amosun has unilaterally gone ahead to appoint registration officers across the State claiming that the Party has been handed over to him. Party members feel that this is laying credence to his claim that all national leaders are already in his pocket - that he had bought them but this is a blatant lie. We urge all members to disregard this in its entirety.
He must not be allowed to continue with the same impunity deployed to rubbish State Party leadership in the composition of State Harmonisation principal officer and the National guidelines on harmonization and registration thus far.
As major stakeholders, we fear for the future of our Party in Ogun State. Some of our Party members are already highly DISILLUSIONED because of Gov Amosun, while many are threatening to leave. For the sake of our great Party, we are appealing to our members and leaders to call Gov Amosun to order now. Please stop him now from destroying our Party and prevent him from making our efforts day and night to build a great Party to be in vain. We urge all Party members to keep faith and stand with the Party at this time.
10. It is however heart-warming to listen to our Governor saying that, “Chief Osoba is our father in the party and there is nobody that is anti-Osoba in the state, we are all pro-Osoba” (the same Tribune January, 11th 2014).
We welcome this brand new hand of fellowship and implore him to extend same to other party leadership and followership earlier alienated in the spirit of harmonisation as envisaged for inclusiveness by the National Leadership of APC.
11. We therefore called on National Interim Executive of our great Party to urge the governor to furnish the Ogun State Interim Executive Committee with his nominee for Chairmanship as allotted to him and help resolve the difference between the competing forces in the State CPC through their Defunct National Executive, to have the fifth member of our Interim EXCO in place for smooth, transparent and credible formation of necessary structures at LGA, Ward and Polling Units as registration officials according to the guidelines released by the Interim National EXCO of APC.
12. We implore the National Interim EXCO not to limit the provision of registration forms to 100 per ward for a mass movement like APC in order not to encourage hoarding and isolation of genuine members for mercenaries.
13. We also implore the National Interim EXCO to direct the Secretaries of the defunct legacy parties to hand over all relevant documents to the State Interim Executive Committee to facilitate proper harmonisation and smooth exercises that will lead to successful registration, congresses and convention.
14. In the meantime, to avoid any vacuum, we hereby direct that the LGA and Ward Chairmen of the defunct legacy parties (ACN, ANPP and CPC) are to jointly preside over the affairs of the Party at their various levels.
15. It is now certain that membership registration will commence nationwide from January, 28th 2014 (see Punch of January 12th, 2014). Please await further directives soonest.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we welcome the Governor’s hands of fellowship and sincerely implore him to cooperate with the recently inaugurated State Interim Executive. We must all not allow the aphorism that: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" be applicable to our Ogun State, the gateway to EVERYTHING GOOD IN NIGERIA.
Long Live Ogun State.
Long Live Nigeria.
APC Change!!!
Signed by:
Senator Adegbenga Sefiu Kaka,
Secretary, State Interim Committee, APC Ogun State.