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Soji Ajibola
The National leadership of Accord party has inaugurated a 5-man caretaker committee replacing its sacked executive members in Oyo state.
The inauguration ceremony held at the temporary secretariat of the party, Oke-Ado, Ibadan on Sunday is aimed at putting the party in a good position for next Saturday’s governorship election.
Members of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee are, Alhaji Isiaka Salami, Chairman; Mr. Bashiru Ayobami, Secretary; Hon Fatai Salawu, Mrs Bimpe Martins and Hon Ayodele Oyajide as members
Nigerian Tribune recalls that the national leadership sacked the former executives following their endorsement of Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as their preferred governorship candidate against the party’s candidate for Saturday’s election.
The National Chairman of Accord, Mohammad Nalado who was represented by the National Legal Adviser, Maxwell Ngbudem and the National Vice Chairman Southwest, Alhaji Dokun Babarinde expressed described as an unconstitutional and utmost betrayal of confidence the action of the sacked excos.
Ngbudem said it was shameful for a group of people to constitute themselves against the party’s decision, promising to sanction them according to the party provisions.
He, therefore, charged the members to go across the state and inform the people that Accord has not stepped down its candidacy for the governorship position or any of the members of the House of Assembly.
He maintained that the party is strongly behind Chief Adebayo Adelabu for the governorship seat as well as all its house of assembly members.
Earlier in his address, Adelabu said the betrayal was not unexpected but never acceptable. He expressed shock that some individuals could turn to political jobbers for selfish gains and lacked faith in vision and mission of the party in the state.
He commended the national leadership of the party for the promptness and quick intervention saying it took less than two hours the excos made their fraudulent endorsement of Makinde that the National leadership issued a statement denouncing the move and sack of the affected excos.
The Accord guber candidate said it was disheartening that after the party candidates had spent so much money to campaign and mobilise for the election, the Bola Tinubu tsunami made them lost at the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He said that the candidates have spent close to N3billion during the electioneering process but that the governorship election will prove many things wrong and wide acceptability of Accord in the state.
He said the one week extension of the governorship by INEC was a blessing in disguise for the Accord so that
According to him, “We are not divided along any line. We are one and we remain one in our party. As a political party, the only objective for any political party is to contest election and win and not for political trading.
“We decided to opt into Accord from the APC because we believed it was the next popular party that has reach and spread after the other two big major parties.
“We were warned about those individuals that we met in the party and we gave them all they needed to make them comfortable. If they needed money, we gave them even in excess just to ensure we are united and focus.
“They have taken many steps that we were aware of but were just watching. They started making troubles since the days we started to select candidates to conduct elections.
“There are a number of reasons that we lost the presidential and National Assembly elections due to Asiwaju’s tsunami. No candidate campaigned more than our candidates for the National Assembly positions.
“Voting pattern now is for personalities not party anymore. It was for Asiwaju, not APC. It was for Atiku not PDP and for Obi, not LP.
“The forthcoming governorship election too would be about individuals and not party. We have spent over N3billion by all our candidates put together since we joined the party till date. What the sacked excos did amount to betrayal and backstabbing. It is not unexpected but we could not tolerate.
“Apart from the chairman and secretary, no single party member supported them. That was what they did in 2019 when they came out to disown the party candidate.
“The National Secretariat who are fair in their assessment, kicked and condemned the action. The decisions of the national leadership to sack the exco because of their action is highly commendable and appreciated. Let us forget about the past and move ahead and God will give us good success”.
In his acceptance speech, the chairman of the newly inaugurated committee, , Alhaji Salami pledged loyalty of the excos to the national leadership and members of the party and all the candidates in the State.
He implored party members to take advantage of the one week extension to work and reclaim the state and prove that it is the only alternative for the masses of the state.
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