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The Accord Party members in Oyo State on Saturday could not work together to produce the state executives as the party held two parallel congress.
This is the third time in two months, the party’s quest to produce its executives at the ward, local government and state levels, would be marred by parallel congresses.
On Saturday, a faction of the party held its congress at the Olubadan Stadium, Iyaganku, while the other held its election at Green Springs Hotel, Old Ife Road, Ibadan.
Interestingly, the two congresses were monitored by staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Former governor of the state and leader of the party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, attended the gathering at the hotel. Others at the same venue with him include notable leaders like Senator Femi Lanlehin, Chief Bayo Lawal, Chief Dele Adigun, Prof. Tunde Ayeleru, Hon. Bayo Lawal, former Deputy Speaker, Hon. Babatunde Olaniyan; Hon. Olayemi Busari and all the eight Accord members in the state House of Assembly.
The congress at the Olubadan Stadium was attended by Prince Dotun Oyelade, Hon. Dr Adebukola Ajaja, Egr Remi Olaniyan, Hon. Nojeem Omirinde, Prince Tunji Adeoye, Dr Remi Ayodele, Tijani Sulaimon, Adelodun Amoo, Titilola Dauda and Abiola Ayorinde Oyelade.
Elected by the Ladoja faction were Alh. Wahab Oyelade (State Chairman), Dr Nureni Adeniran (State Secretary), Mrs Yetunde Ajibola (Women Leader), Akeem Olatunji (Publicity Secretary), Mr Adekola Adeoye (Youth Leader), Nasiru Adeniyi (Organising Secretary), and Pastor Oladimejo Orolade (Treasurer).
Similarly, the Dotun Oyelade faction elected Hon. Dauda Lawal as Chairman, Hon. Abdul Adetona as Vice Chairman, former chairman Saki-East Local Government, Egnr Muda Ogunsola as Secretary Kehinde Adebimpe as Teasurer; Hon. Josiah Olufemi Idowu as Publicity Secretary, Owolabi Folarin as Organizing Secretary and Yinka Oladimeji as Youth Leader.
In his welcome speech at the Olubadan Stadium, Prince Dotun Oyelade said: “Without any iota of doubt, the last election was clearly in our favour and Accord was cruising to predictable victory until some leaders decided to upturn the choices of many popular candidates and brought in others who were undemocratically selected.
“Twenty-four hours after the submission of names of those candidates on deadline day December 30, the leadership of our great party voluntarily handed victory to those who are in power in Oyo state today.
“What we are doing at Olubadan stadium today, is not only a direct result of that disastrous electoral misrule, it is also forestall a repeat of that forgettable episode and prepare for future elections with likeminded people under a well organized party machinery.
“Like thousands of others who watched helplessly as Accord was turned into a three-man committee that breathe down orders at their whims and caprices on the rest of us, I associate myself with our renewed aspiration to have an effective party executive, democratically elected in accordance with our party constitution to lead us to the promised land.
“We have done our home work and we have also consulted widely and we assure our teeming party members and the people of Oyo state who look forward to us that this executive will not let them down. This executive will listen more to the masses and will not be cronies of some godfathers.”
Ladoja on the other hand, at his faction’s gathering, expressed skepticism over the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led state government’s plans to conduct council elections on February 11, 2017.