By Rauf Tijjani, ABUJA
The position of the National Secretary and National Vice Chairman, South West of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been finally yielded to Ondo and Oyo State respectively as Governors and influential leaders of the party from the zone resolved to strengthen the party in Oyo and retrieve it from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by 2023.
The APC governors made up of Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Babajide Sanwo-olu of Lagos State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Rotimi Akeredolu and Isiaka Oyetola of Osun together with two leaders of the zone whose identities were not disclosed insisted, in a virtual meeting, Sunday night that their earlier decision on Ondo and Oyo producing the National Secretary and National Vice Chairman for South West “stands”.
On the choice of Oyo, the governors, according to multiple impeccable sources, considered the importance of Oyo State in the western zone and the fact that it is only the state that does not have a sitting governor from APC, a situation, they all established was already affecting the fortunes of APC negatively in the state and the region, generally.
The APC leaders also felt that giving Oyo State a lesser position because they did not have a governor to make a case for them at the governors’ meeting would be unfair to the progressive politicians who have been toiling day and night for the party and that it might have boomerang effects across the region as Ibadan remains the political capital of the zone.
“They therefore unanimously agreed on Oyo and accepted the nomination of a veteran progressive politician from Oyo State, Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle whose name had earlier been submitted by APC leaders from Oyo State”, said the sources.
Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, who is at present, the Chairman of National Lottery Regulatory Commission served as the Personal Assistant to the late Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lam Adesina.
He was also the Special Adviser on Politics to late Governor Abiola Ajimobi among others.
There were not many arguments on the choice of Ondo State for the position of National Secretary as the state Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu who is also the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum and his colleagues simply reiterated their earlier submissions on Mr. Isaac Kekemeke for National Secretary.
Mr. Kekemeke and Iyiola Omisore have both collected forms and screened for the National Secretary’s position while Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle and one other person from Oyo State have been screened for the National Vice Chairmanship.
