The All Progressives Congress was still battling with crises in at least
eight of its state chapters despite the expiry of the deadline for the
replacement of candidates on Saturday.
INEC, in its notice of the
2019 general elections, gave political parties December 1 deadline to
substitute their candidates for governorship and state assembly
elections.
The deadline ended midnight on Saturday. Although
many political parties met the October 7, 2018 deadline given to them
to conclude their primaries, a lot of them were still battling with
crises arising from the shadow elections.
Investigations by The
Punch across the country showed the APC was concerned about crises in
states including Ogun, Delta, Imo, Zamfara, Oyo, Ebonyi, Katsina and
Ondo.
A top official of the APC in Ogun State, who confided in
The Punch, said that a faction of the party, led by an ex-governor of
the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, produced the governorship candidate, Mr
Dapo Abiodun, but the executive council of the APC was firmly
controlled by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
He said, “There is
confusion in the party because many are still waiting to see how Abiodun
will run his campaign without the backing of the state executive of the
party. Also, can the state governor campaign against the governorship
candidate of a party, where he is contesting a senatorial seat?”
According
to the source, the situation has been worsened by the defection of
Amosun’s preferred candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, from the APC to the
Allied Peoples Movement.
When contacted, the state Chairman of
the APC, Chief Adebiyi described the crisis in the party as a family
affair, saying he and other party officers in the state had not been
contacted by Abiodun and his group.
But when contacted on whether
his group had reached out to Adebiyi or not, the Director-General of
Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organisation, Prince Segun Adesegun said his group
would contact those that mattered.
He said, “It is a party issue
and I will not want to be specific about it. But I can assure you that
everyone that matters will be reached out to.”
