Amidst intense controversy, Isaac Omodewu, former Commissioner for Lands and Housing during the administration of a former governor of Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria, the late Abiola Ajimobi, has emerged as the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Omodewu emerged chairman through consensus arrangement, which was affirmed at the state congress held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, hitherto known as Liberty Stadium, on Saturday. The exercise was witnessed by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC).
The congress, which had been postponed twice over sharing formula for the state executive council and delegates’ list, was presided over by the APC Congress Committee led by the secretary, Abdullahi Bello, in the absence of the Committee Chairman, Gambo Lawan.
However, the congress, which was supposed to commence by 10a.m, did not start until about 4:30p.m, because aggrieved members of the party stormed the hotel, where the Chairman of the State Congress Committee, Gambo Lawan, was lodged at Jericho, Ibadan and effectively prevented him from leaving the hotel for the venue of the congress.
When the congress committee members did not show up at the venue of the exercise on time, more than 70 percent of the delegates that came from the 33 local government areas of the state had left the venue, although some of them came back when they heard that Lawan, as well as the Chairman of the Elders’ Advisory Committee (EAC), Adebayo Alao-Akala, and Senator Teslim Folarin, showed up at the stadium. But Lawan was not at the stadium.
The new Chairman of APC in the state, Isaac Omodewu, in his acceptance speech, said: “Today’s state congress of our great party signals the beginning of another chapter. I belong to no one, I belong to all members of our great party. My main tasks are to unite all tendencies within the party and to lead APC to victory in 2023 general elections and beyond.”
Suzan O
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