Ikirun APC Factional Crisis Resurrects Days After Oyetola, Famodun’s Settlement

By Niyi OLASINDE

There seems to be no end in sight to the crisis
​rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in
​Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government in the State of Osun.

Some of the warring APC members have rejected the terms of settlement made by Governor AdegboyegaOyetola and the state chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun who had intervened in the matter last week Sunday.

The local government meeting of the party was disrupted last Sunday by some aggrieved members who dishonoured the directive of the governor and the party chairman that a leader of the party, Pa Buraimo Bello should be presiding over the Joint Local Government meeting.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the APC Chairman in Ifelodun Local Government, Mr Zacheaus Agboola and some Ward Chairmen of the party allegedly led the disruption of the meeting by stopping Bello from presiding over the meeting.

The situation created commotion at the secretariat of the APC as some people engaged in physical combat after a short hot altercation.

Some leaders of the party left the meeting venue angrily to Alhaji Gbadamosi Lawal’s residence to report the situation.

Reliable sources at Lawal’s residence disclosed that a call was made to Famodun to confirm the position of party leadership on the matter and the APC chairman reaffirmed the resolutions.

Both Bello and Lawal had been heading two different factions of the APC before Oyetola and Famodun united them last week.

At a meeting held with Lawal, Bello and other leaders and members of the party, it was also resolved that Bello should the Chairman of Joint Local Government and general meetings holding every Sunday.

The resolutions also stated that Lawal is the ultimate leader of the party and will be presiding over elder/stakeholders meetings and see to resolution of all crises and misunderstandings arising between / among members of the party.

But Agboola, the APC local government chairman and some of Ward Chairmen were obviously not comfortable with the resolutions, and as a result decided to express their displeasure by stopping Bello from coordinating the meeting.

Peace had eluded the APC in Ikirun some three years ago, following unresolved political differences among leaders of the party.

The party crisis became pronounced in 2018 when the party members divided themselves in the two camps of Tobalase and Arobafin.

Members of the Tobalase group were APC members that sought refuge in the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba AbdulraufOlawale Adedeji against the alleged nepotism and tyrannical posture of the overall leader of the party in the local government, Alhaji Gbadamosi Lawal popularly known as ‘Owoseni’.

The Tobalase group had former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Mr AdelaniBaderinwa, former commissioner II of the Local Government Service Commission, Mr Kehinde Olamolu, a businessman, Mr Moshood Oluawo, among others as members.

The Arobafin group was headed by Lawal and had some notable chieftain of the party as members. They held the view that Akinrun should steer clear of politics and remain the father for all as traditional ruler.

Members of the group included former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Hon Wale Afolabi, the current lawmaker representing Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency to Hon Lekan Afolabi and former chairman of the House of Assembly Service Commission, Hon Hassan Olawuwo.

At the warm up of the September 22, 2018 governorship election, the Arobafin group of the APC were accused of working for the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Alhaji Moshood Adeoti against the APC candidate, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola.

The APC eventually lost the governorship election in Ikirun and Ifelodun Local Government at large to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), because of the polarization of the party.

OSUN DEFENDER could confirm that former governor Rauf Aregbesola gave the House of Representatives ticket to Afolabi in order to appeal to the Arobafin group.

Aregbesola also appeased to the Tobalase group with the House of Assembly ticket for Ifelodun constituency, given to Hon Dr Mulikat Abiola with a promise that the gesture will be complemented with a commissionership appointment from the group.

However, the commissionership appointment split the Tobalase camp as Oba Olawale allegedly nominated his son, Mr Babatunde Olawale for the appointment.

Olawale is now the Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology in the state.

The nomination for the commissionership appointment further deepened the APC crisis in Ikirun as four different groups made nominations and lobbied the state party leadership to accept their candidates.

OSUN DEFENDER noted Olawale’s appointment spurred some leaders of the APC to have some political realignment, a situation that necessitated fresh relationship between some members of the Tobalase and Arobafin camps.