Arising from the parallel ward and local government congresses, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is faced with resolving intra-party crises in 23 states. Of the 23 states where parallel congresses took place, the newly-cobbled nine-member reconciliation committee, headed by former Nasarawa governor, Adamu Abdullahi, is reportedly targeting five states as must-resolve, before the October 2 state congress.
Of the five states, three are domiciled in the South-West, where four state chapters of the party conducted parallel ward and local government congresses.
The three must-resolve, are listed as Lagos, where five factions have emerged, Ogun, where three factions technically exist and Osun, where the two dominant factions have remained on the street, tearing each other’s cloth.
The Ekiti State chapter of the party is also embroiled in a factional crisis but the matter has become sub-judice, considering that the faction loyal to APC national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, is already in court, against the mainstream faction, loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi. The crisis rocking the Ogun State chapter of the party is mainly between the group loyal to Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and the faction led by Governor Dapo Abiodun which enjoys the confidence of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The third group in the state is loyal to former governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba, which isn’t clearly affiliated yet, to any of the two mainstream groupings. Lagos State chapter has five factions laying claim to ascendancy, though the Lagos4Lagos/Oki combination recorded huge success in the final list of ward executives, endorsed by the national headquarters.
In Apapa local government of the incumbent caretaker chairman of the party, Mr. Tunde Balogun, loyalists of Lagos4Lagos, headed by Mr Olajide Adediran, a gubernatorial hopeful, swept nearly all the major positions. Balogun swore in all the ward chairmen, endorsed by Abuja, losing his base.
Lagos4Lagos also conducted a parallel local government congress and submitted a separate winners’ list to the national headquarters, as done, with the ward congress, which largely went its way in the final national collation.
But, Fouad Oki, who has thrown his hat into the ring for Balogun’s seat, told Nigerian Tribune that tendencies in the party, didn’t sit anywhere to agree on consensus.
The fourth breakaway faction known as the Conscience group, is led by Mr. Moshood Salvador, a former state chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The fifth faction is known as AMCON (Ambode Campaign Organization), obviously loyal to former governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
Apart from the three states in the South West, the reconciliation committee, expected to be inaugurated this week, would be fixing its gaze on Anambra where a governorship election is pending and party gladiators, are incensed, with the candidate, Senator Andy Uba, and Zamfara State, where decampee Governor Matawalle is having a hard time imposing himself as the leader of the state chapter, despite the total support he enjoys from Abuja.
With the party leadership seeking more gubernatorial defections from opposition PDP, Matawalle’s case is seen as a must-resolve, to encourage other PDP governors being eyed that APC, would be home for them.
Other states being rocked by internal wrangling include Kwara, Imo, Delta, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, among others. The threat by the party’s interim national body to sanction those involved in parallel congresses or litigation, has not deterred aggrieved members, from ventilating their frustration either through the court or parallel congresses.