The recently published reactions of Kwara South APC chieftain, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo has been described as fact-free, a cheap blackmail and a disappointing outburst from a leader who ought to know and comport better.
These reactions were contained in a statement released by the Kwara State APC Electoral Committee signed by Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin, the
Chairman, Publicity Committee of the party’s Electoral umpire.
Raheem Adedoyin described Chief Iyiola Oyedepo’s post primary reactions as unfortunate.
According to the release, “The Electoral Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwara State, notes with disappointment the fact-free outbursts published by one of our leaders, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, on the just- concluded primaries for the election of the party’s flag bearers in the forthcoming local government elections in Kwara State.
“As a leader in his own right who should be versed in democratic traditions, Chief Oyedepo ought to know the media is not the first place to go to ventilate his frustrations with the party or the leadership. Whatever grievances he may have could easily have been channelled through the established channels including the appeal committee.”
Adedoyin observed that in spite of the primary elections not being favourable to Akogun Oyedepo’s anointed candidate, the outcome is the choice of majority party members.
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“The primary elections apparently didn’t go Chief Oyedepo ‘s way in his Isin Local Government, but the outcome definitely reflects the wishes of the majority of APC members who participated in it. Chief Oyedepo’s anointed aspirant, Mr. Adeboye Adebayo, ran a good race. He was not victorious, but it is not the end of the world for the retired banker. We also do not think that Chief Oyedepo ought to rubbish the whole process simply because his candidate did not make it this time. That is the nature of party politics and democracy.”
“While we do not shut out the room for improvement, the free and fair nature of the election and the outcome were not limited to Chief Oyedepo ‘s home front. A similar commendable level of electoral transparency and an outcome reflecting the wishes of the APC members occurred across Akogun’s Kwara South Constituency and beyond. In Chief Oyedepo ‘s catchment areas of Isin, Irepodun, Oke Ero, Ekiti, Oyun, Ifelodun, and Offa Local Government Areas, congresses took place and candidates who emerged winners were announced by the party.
“The Stakeholders who are no less credentialed in democratic practices than Chief Oyedepo would bear testimony to the transparency of the electoral process and an agreeable outcome in their domains.
The Electoral committee publicity Chairman further stated that “In Offa Local Government, for instance, the emergence of the chairmanship candidate through a democratic process that can be confirmed from the major stakeholders, including Chief GG Jaiyeola, Hajia Fareedah Dankaka, Alh. Jani Ibrahim, Rtd Colonel Ademola Lawal, Hon. Hassan Oyeleke, Barr. Segun Olawoyin, the two members in Kwara House of Assembly ( Hon. JK and Hon. Gbenga Ogunniyi Adato), and a host of others.”
In conclusion, Oloriewe Raheem declared in the statement that “it is unfair, if not cheap blackmail, for one stakeholder to surreptitiously berate other stakeholders in a publication lacking in facts and laced with malice against the leadership. As leaders, we can disagree on political choices within the party, but we should be restrained in discrediting the leadership and others that we disagree with.
“The party members made their choices, and the party leadership upheld those choices. That is democracy at work. This, of course, does not foreclose continuous and healthy conversations on possible improvements in our democratic processes.”
Recall Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo has, in a widely reported reaction, condemned the recently concluded APC LG polls Primaries in the State.
Oyedepo in the reports described the Primaries as fraudulent and declared that all the candidates emerging via the process are products of imposition by Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq.
Oga talk true, there was no election