Primary Election: Concerned APC Members Call For Removal Of Osun Chairman

Some concerned stakeholders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State have called for immediate removal of the party’s state Chairman, Gboyega Famodun over alleged plot to manipulate processes for the conduct of primary election to pick party’s flagbearer for the September 22nd 2018 governorship election in the state.

The concerned members and groups within the party had accused Gboyega Famodun led executive of alleged high handedness, acting with impunity and total disregard for party constitution.

They also alleged that since Famodun assumed the mantle of leadership of the party in the state, the party had been losing election to opposition and that party’s fortune has continued to nose dived.

The aggrieved members further accused Famodun of single handedly written letter to the National Chairman of APC indicating that the entire state executive committee expressed its preference for direct primaries in picking the party’s flagbearer for the September 22nd governorship election in the state.

It would be recalled that the National secretariat of the party had fixed Thursday July 19th for the party primary election in the state.

According to spokesperson of the concerned members and groups, Alhaji Nurain Oladimeji said that their groups added its voice to those calling for immediate removal of the current State Chairman of APC, Gboyega Famodun.

Oladimeji stated that since the state party Chairman mounted the saddle of leadership of the party in the state, the party’s fortune has nose-dived including the party’s loss of elections to the opposition.

“I know you will agree with me that ever since Famoodun became the party Chairman in the state, APC has suffered one form of political misfortune or the other including the loss of a senatorial seat among others.

“In addition to all these, it has become his habit to unilaterally take important decisions with recourse to the larger state executive committee,” he stated.

The group leader further listed others of Famodun’s sins to include writing a letter recently on behalf of the entire state executive committee to the National Chairman of the party stating that the entire membership of the state executive committee had expressed its preference for the direct primaries in picking the party’s flagbearer ahead of the September 22 governorship election in the state.

“Our group’s intelligence-gathering machinery reliably gathered that Prince Famoodun unilaterally wrote a letter and took same to the national headquarters of our party in Abuja, claiming that the state executive committee had thrown its weight behind the call call for direct primaries in picking our party’s governorship candidate.

“This is an act of deception carried too far by the State Chairman of our party,” Oladimeji further stated.

He then warned that should the party’s national leadership fall to Famodun’s antics, the party must be ready to go back to be in the opposition come November 27, 2018.

The group leader further expressed his opinion that from available and reliable sources, the party chairman has a favorite from among the governorship aspirants, thus further exposing his grand design to ensure that his preferred aspirant emerges victorious at the governorship primaries scheduled to hold on Thursday, 19th July at all cost.

“Prince Famoodun has run foul of his oath of office by having a preferred candidate from among the governorship aspirants,” he emphasized.

Alhaji Oladimeji further wondered what the State Chairman of the party wishes to gain from the party’s loss.

“I just want to know what Prince Famoodun would gain in the event of the party losing the governorship election to the opposition in November. How I wish I can have a good answer to that.

“I therefore, on behalf of my group, call on the national leadership of our party to act fast to stop Famoodun and his cohorts from further inflicting unnecessary injuries on the party in the state,” he stressed.

In a related development, another socio-political group has expressed its pessimism on the state wing of the APC’s readiness to continue holding on to power in the state with its current state leadership.

The group, Osun Sunrise, made its submission known in a statement issued and signed by Mr Samuel Ariyibi and Fatai Salaam, its State President and Secretary respectively in Osogbo, the state capital and made available to newsmen.

According to the group, the current APC leadership under Prince Famoodun are not in any way ready to continue the party’s hold on power on the state beyond November, 2018.

The statement noted that available intelligence revealed how Prince Famoodun was in the habit of sidelining other members of the state executive committee when taking me important decisions.

The group therefore called on the national leadership of APC in Abuja to set machineries in motion to investigate the State Chairman of the party in the state, as touching all his leadership styles among others.

In a related development, other stakeholders in the party including youth group, women group, local government party chairmen and councillors have kicked against the letter allegedly written by Famodun to national secretariat saying it is illegal and against the wish of party members.