A national leader of the All Progressive Congress, Bola Tinubu, and the party’s pioneer chairman, Bisi Akande, led other party leaders from the Southwest to Akure, the capital of the Ondo State on Tuesday, to work together to ensure that the party emerged victorious in the governorship election next year.
Since the elections leading up to the last election, the party in the state has been split, with the emergence of a faction opposed to the governor.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who originally failed to unite members of the party shortly after emerging as state governor, has recently begun to sue for peace as challenges against him for the APC ticket ahead of next year’s elections have become imminent.
Earlier a meeting was held in Abuja between him and Mr Tinubu, where both politicians allegedly buried the hatchet.
The opposing group is constituted by the national leader’s loyalists whose unique ambition is to guarantee that Mr Akeredolu failed to obtain a return ticket to the Alagbaka government house
Speaking at the conference, Mr Tinubu, who stated that disputes in the political setting were not uncommon, charged leaders and party members in the state “not to destroy the house they had built.”
He said that the leaders of the party must come together to win the next and other future elections
“We are leaving one thing behind, the charity that must begin at home. We want to win the next election in Ondo State and every other election. The solution is in your hands. We want to thank you for your commitment to the party,” he said.
“Our leaders should go back to their wards and preach unity to their followers.”
The meeting, he said, was ahead of the next governorship election to restore peace and unity to Ondo APC.
Mr Akande also said the purpose of the meeting was to resolve the disagreements between members.
“The meeting is all to promote the interest of All Progressive Congress,” he said. “We discussed how we shall win the next election in Ondo State. You can see all our leaders laughing; APC in Ondo is now one.”
Other leaders who also spoke at the meeting included former Governor of Ogun State, Segun Osoba and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi and Mr Akeredolu.
Ondo State’s former deputy governor, Ali Olanusi ; former chairman of Ondo APC, Isaac Kekemeke ; chieftain of the APC, Olusola Oke ; contender of the APC governorship, Segun Abraham, and former commissioner for regional integration in Osun State, Bola Ilori, among others, attended the meeting.
Mr. Akeredolu thanked the leaders for their dedication and help to the state party’s advancement.
‘Meeting not called for Akeredolu’s re-election’
Mr. Kekemeke, who is also an aspirant to governorship in the party, said Mr. Tinubu never advised contenders to step down for Mr. Akeredolu for the governorship ticket.
He also revealed that the meeting about the crisis that rocked the party in the state did not discuss the second term offer from Mr Akeredolu.
Mr Kekemeke revealed this to journalists on the sidelines of the reconciliatory meeting.
“We never talked about first or second term. What we talked about is how our party will remain united and that whether anyone likes it or not, Akeredolu remains the governor of the state and by indication, the leader of the party in the state,” he said.
“There was no talk about second term, third term or fourth term.
“Leaders of our party have spoken to us and we have agreed that we will work together and find domestic solution to our domestic problems at the prompting of our leaders.
“In a short while, we will be putting ourselves together and proffer domestic solutions to our domestic problems as motivated and encouraged by our leaders in the South-west and that will be very soon,” he explained.