To protest the party’s intention to give Okeogun the chairmanship once more, Okeogun natives peacefully demonstrated Monday at the All Progressives Congress, APC headquarters in Ibadan.
Under the banner of the socio-cultural organization “Egbe Ajosepo fun Itesiwaju Gbogbo Wa,” the demonstrators said that the proposed proposal to zone the chairperson position to the zone was a calculated attempt to deny the Okeogun zone the chance to be elected governor in 2027.
The demonstrators carried signs that read, among other things: “Give us the governorship seat in 2027; Let Okeogun breathe; Let Okeogun grow; We are not slaves; No to Party Chairman position again; We want true democracy.”
According to NAN, the Oyo APC established an ad hoc committee to manage zoning preparations for the new state executive committee in a statement released on Sunday by Olawale Sadare, the party’s publicity secretary.
The committee, led by Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, was entrusted with distributing open positions in the state executive committee among the party’s 33 LGA chapters.
Speaking to reporters, the group’s national chairman, Mr. Dauda Olaifa, stated that the nonviolent demonstration was required after reliable sources disclosed that the APC had purportedly appointed an Okeogun native as the party chairman.
Olaifa claimed that the action was an intentional attempt to revoke the Okeogun zone’s 2027 bid for the governorship of Oyo, pointing out that the governor and party chairman could not simultaneously come from the same zone.
He pointed out that an examination of political history since the Fourth Republic’s establishment in 1999 shows a clear and constant trend in which Okeogun has consistently been awarded party leadership positions within the progressive and PDP.
At one point in time, the APC and PDP party chairmen came from the same Okeogun town.
The post of party chairman, regardless of party affiliation, has been disproportionately based in Oyo North, especially Okeogun, for more than 20 years, he claimed, and the proof is unquestionable.
“It is political tokenism to propose Okeogun for yet another party chairperson position. It is neither inclusion nor justice. He saw it as a calculated consolation award intended to maintain isolation.
According to Olaifa, Okeogun, which has ten local governments and is the second-largest zone after Ibadan, has played a major role in the rise of Ibadan natives as governors over the years.
He argued that regardless of social affiliation or religion, the Oke-Ogun zone is steadfast in its resolve to support any political party that chooses a local candidate for governor.
He emphasized that following extensive and demanding interview sessions, at least seven qualified candidates with solid backgrounds have emerged from Okeogun.
Olaifa called on the APC to reject the efforts of “self-imposed Okeogun zone negotiators,” pointing out that their work had been blatantly self-serving and did not reflect the demands of Okeogun indigenous people both domestically and internationally.
In our operating paper, he stated: “We said no to the position of deputy governor because Okeogun has already produced five deputy governors; no to the position of party chairman because history already demonstrates overwhelming occupancy; and yes to the position of governor of Oyo State in 2027.”
Power rotation is not new to progressive governance, according to Pastor Favour Adewoyin, the National Secretary, “Egbe Ajosepo fun Itesiwaju Gbogbo Wa.”
“Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, Kwara, Kogi, Edo, and Delta states are just a few of the sister southwest states where we can see it in operation. Why should the state of Oyo be an exception?
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