Yemisi Izuora
The National Chairman of the South West Agenda for 2023, (SWAGA), Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to caution the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and place him under close watch over suspected anti-party activities
SWAGA is a political pressure group within the APC, rooting for Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the presidential choice, come 2023.
Reacting in a statement issued by his Media Manager, Mr Gboyega Adeoye, Senator Adeyeye, expressed worry over recent pronouncements and actions of the Ekiti State governor, which he said smirks of quick, deliberate, steps aimed at rescuing victory from the mouth of APC’s nascent national electoral fortunes.
The former Minister for Works and Housing, Adeyeye, was reacting to a lingering orchestrated attempt by a group, ostensibly acting a script, to suspend the Caretaker Chairman of Ado Ekiti Ward 8 of the APC, Clement Afolabi, on trumped up allegation of fraternising with SWAGA.
Earlier, the Director General of a national broadcasting station, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, had accused the Ekiti governor and Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Fayemi, over an incisive statement credited to him, calling on Nigerians to organise themselves and vote out his party, the APC.
In Ekiti, Afolabi was accused of anti-party for allegedly supporting the choice of Asiwaju Tinubu, even as he has been given a clean bill by his immediate constituency which unanimously declared a vote of confidence on him, sequel to the notice, Tuesday.
Reacting, Senator Adeyeye described the political happenings in Ekiti under the watch of Dr Fayemi as “a theater of the absurd by an evil intending vicious leader with mission to smash the eggs, kill the hen and put the entire poultry on fire.”
According to him, SWAGA is a pressure group within the APC, which emergence few months ago has boosted the electoral credentials of the party with massive influx of new members.
“We think it is high time we began to get weary of some strange voices within. While we condemn the recent incisive and damaging statement of the Ekiti governor on our party, we consider the save face measure shoddily adopted in visiting undue punitive measure on Afolabi, who, purportedly, was showing support for the presidential choice of a top notch of the APC, a serious aberration.
“SWAGA is not unaware of the underground plots to frustrate the rising political profile of Asiwaju Tinubu in the south west and indeed Nigeria, as the undisputable choice to bring stability into our fragile democracy and lift the nation economically. We have tested the waters to see how a people so traumatised and choked in a party, are frantically wrestling to pull out of the terrible grip of the political Dracula of our time for a resting haven they have found in SWAGA.
“The ongoing attempt to plunder and decimate our party and then leave the carcass for us to contend with, is not hidden. This we shall resist for the efforts of the builders of this democracy and many other Nigerians, who have toiled in endurance and are waiting to reap the gains.
“While we condemn the lingering undemocratic approach of Fayemi to issues in recent times and insist on a call to order, we enjoin our party men and women across country, to feel free to identify with SWAGA. SWAGA is APC and APC is SWAGA. There is no way a member can commit anti-party offence for favouring the presidential choice of a party man,” Senator Adeyeye said.
Adeoye chipped in that ‘Fayemi should remember that 33 aspirants contested to be governor with him in APC in 2018 among whom he emerged the party’s flag-bearer. All others returned as party members after the contest without a tag. So, this new development where the suspension of a caretaker chairman is being contemplated for allegedly supporting the choice of a leader in same party is strange.”
Earlier on Tuesday, members from the 10 polling units in Ado Ekiti Ward 8, converged to pass a vote of confidence on Afolabi, who they assured of their cooperation and backing at all times.
According to them, Afolabi has been a selfless leader in the ward whose leadership style is favourable to all.
They later signed to a communique to identify with the battle targeted at Afolabi as a joint fight, to ensure he retains his seat as caretaker chairman of the ward.
Earlier, the executive members in the ward, have also passed a vote of confidence on Afolabi and pledged solidarity with him in the ensuing struggle.
Rising from a meeting to review the allegation, the executive members ruled that the various accusations agaist the embattled Afolabi, were spurious, of no locus, and borne out of hatred.
The minute of the meeting stated that the allegation that Afolabi factionalised the exco, was not true, arguing that a state exco member, Mrs. Funke Oluwadare, and two aides of the deputy governor; Tokunbo Adeparusi, Special Assistant on Politics to the Deputy Governor and Wale Falade, Special Assistant to the deputy governor, are to be blamed for the division in the ward and not the caretaker chairman.
The minutes further pointed out how the aforementioned aides of the Deputy Governor conspired with six ward exco and some party members to hold a meeting on 14th April 2021, at one Mr. Adebiyi house at Ogbon Oba.
They dismissed the allegation that Afolabi failed to call the ward meeting, arguing that the ward was the first to hold meeting in 2021 at the instance of the chairman.
Members therefore dismissed the allegation and gave Afolabi a clean slate, with overwhelming endorsement of his leadership of Ado Ekiti Ward 8 of the APC.