Amuwo Odofin’s APC Apex Body is In Disarray.
The Apex leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Amuwo Odofin Local Government are currently at loggerheads over the choice of preferred candidates in the next local government elections.
Trouble started when the chairman of the Apex leaders, Alhaja Memunat Ajao wrote a letter to the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on a resolution met by 20 members of the Apex leaders to adopt the current Chairman of the local government, Hon Valentine Buraimoh as the candidate for the local government election, hereby extending his term as the executive chairman.
In the controversial letter, Hon Buraimoh was described as a true progressive and one who has brought never seen before development to the local government since its inception.
But in a swift reaction, another group; Concerned Apex Leaders in APC Amuwo Odofin have written a counter-letter addressed to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu against the executive chairman, urging the national leader of the APC to reject his candidacy.
The letter was also aimed at expressing displeasure over the actions of the chairman of the Apex leader, Alhaja Memunat Alao as she was accused of milking the purse of the council for personal gains.
The letter reads in parts: “Alhaja Memunat Ajao has encouraged Valentine Buraimoh, the Executive Chairman of the Local Government Council in abandoning the party to their fate. She is more interested in what she gets for herself and her daughter (Sade Ajao), who has been serving in different capacities since when Ayodele Adewale was Executive Chairman of the council. Sade Ajao is presently a Supervisory Councillor in the council.
“We are at a loss on what was the criteria used in making up the Apex Leaders Forum that has turned out to be the source of our problem in the party. Sincerely, Majority of we the Apex Leaders are of no electoral value to the party in our respective wards since we already aged. As elderly Apex leaders of the party, we would want to leave behind the legacies of our National Leader to the youths.
“They are milking the purse of the council through frivolous salaries ranging between One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (#150,000) and Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (#250,000). This is paid to about five of them every month excluding other financial privileges given to Alhaja Memunat Ajao as the Head of Apex Leaders.
“The success of our party in Amuwo Odofin by 2023 starts with the forthcoming Local Government Election in 2021. We are bold to posit that Apex Leaders under the coordination of Alhaja Memunat Ajao have positioned our great party in bad light not only among our members but also the general populace in Amuwo Odofin. It is a fact that Amuwo Odofin is a cosmopolitan area with membership of various ethnic groups but with huge numbers of Igbo and Hausa speaking people.’’
The letter also alleged that Hon Buraimoh was making the party lose relevance and popularity in the local government due to some of his policies and poor leadership skills.
It was stated that the party lost a House of Representatives seat, and that some of the projects he carried out in the local government are of low quality.
Furthermore, the national leader of the APC was asked to disband the Apex leaders with immediate effect, while stating that a primary election should be held to determine the candidate of the party in the soon to come election.
“Above all, we would suggest primaries to be conducted for interested aspirants because it will make the party more popular among the populace. We are hoping that the members of our party would have the privilege to decide through open/secret ballot system in choosing the right candidate because option A4 would not make party faithfuls express themselves freely. This should also apply to the councillorship positions and in voting for apex leaders with good intentions for the party.
“All the lofty ideas of the Executives of the party never saw the light of the day because of funds. Valentine Oluwaseyi Buraimoh explicitly told the Chairman of the party that he won’t fund any activity of the party. The few projects commissioned by the Executive Chairman were not financially commensurable and overstretched.
“Our prayer is that you immediately call for our disbandment. This will give room for fresh ideas that will grow the party to an enviable height. Our concern is borne out of passion and love for the party and your highly revered personality,” the letter further stated.