Hon Ade Adeogun appeared before the APC reconciliation committee set upon by the interim National Caretaker Leadership of the party to reconcile members of APC in Ondo State. The meeting which was chaired by the governor of Niger State, H. E Abubakar Sani Bello was held at the Plateau State Governors lodge in Abuja today.
The Chairman expressed the desire of the party to reconcile all agrieved members of the party in Ondo State before the coming Guber elections so as to give the party a smooth victory at the polls.
He stated that the party’s new leadership feels that the party runs a risk of losing the election if members fail to come together and speak in one voice.
He added that any negative outcome in Ondo and Edo States may adversely affect the electoral fortune of the party in the 2023 national elections.
He stated that as loyal party people, all APC leaders in Ondo State need to set aside their differences in the interest of the party because there is nothing to share from Zero.
In the course of interaction, other members of the committee asked questions aimed at identifying steps that could be taken to facilitate genuine reconciliation among members of the party in Ondo State.
In response, Hon Adeogun identified four issues that caused or accelerated the lingering crisis which have continually crippled the avalanche of opportunities the party would have enjoyed in the state. They are :
1. Unresolved Issues from 2016 gubernatorial primaries.
2. Disagreement over conduct of 2018 APC congresses and the party’s failure to address the grievances of people who felt shortchanged.
3. Unresolved issues surrounding 2019 National and State Assembly primaries and roles played by party leaders during the general elections.
4. Exclusion of large section of party members from governance.
However, Hon Ade Adeogun suggested that the key to genuine reconciliation of party members are:
1. Trust and inclusiveness.
2. An end to winner takes all politics.
3. Respect for all stakeholders irrespective of the camps they belong to.
4. Entrenchment of Internal democracy
The Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee urged Hon Adeogun to take a leading role in the ongoing effort to reposition the party. He assured that the committee would hold similar interactions with selected APC stakeholders in the course of the assignment.
Hon Ade Adeogun reiterated his desire to work for the progress of his party at all times. He concluded that loyalty to his party is key as he wouldn’t partake in what he stood against when he was running in 2019. He promised to stand for the truth in his bid to reposition the party for greatness come 2023.
While Hon Shina Peller functions as the secretary of the committee, other members who attended the meeting are Senator Adamu Aliero, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Hon. Iquo Inyang , Alh. Gambo Magaji, Hajia Binta Muazu, and Mr. Jasper Azuatalam.
