Chairman Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Mai Mala-Buni has suspended the ongoing state congress in Oyo State following the discovery of forgery in the delegates list meant for the exercise.
Buni gave the order yesterday shortly after he was convinced by an appeal made to him by stakeholders in Oyo concerning the discrepancies that were discovered at the last minutes on the delegates list.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Secretary Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, the CECPC chairman said the suspension became necessary to ensure credibility of the process leading to the emergence of new leaders in Oyo State.
The statement said Governor Mala Buni woukd not tolerate act of indiscipline and fraudulent manipulation of process of any kind.
“It has become necessary to suspend the ongoing State Congress exercise in Oyo State due to information regarding the forging of documents meant to conduct this exercise.
“The national chairman, has however ordered the Oyo State Congress Committee to return to the National Secretariat for further briefing,” the statement said.
The APC also assured the teaming members of the party of level playing ground and justice at all time.
Although, The Guardian reported on Friday that the party is ‘on a thorny road to state congress’ following irresolvable crisis among the stakeholders over allegations and counter allegations by desperate tendencies to use the state congress to hijack the new state executive.
The Unity Forum, a group claiming to be speaking for the progressives within Oyo APC, has persistently accused the former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala’s led Elders Advisory Council, Senator representing Oyo Central, Teslim Folarin and the outgoing state chairman, Akin Oke of scheming to hijack the party’s structure through the state congress while the former governor, the senator and others dismissed the claim as baseless, irresponsible and unexpected.
Oke at a point also urged members of the public to disregard the rumour of crisis within the party, just as Alao-Akala issued a statement in which he assured faithful of the party that he is determined to return the party to the people, whom he described as authentic owners of the structure.
Efforts to speak with some of the stakeholders failed as they refused to pick their calls.
It was learnt that the stakeholders, after spirited efforts to correct some issues with the hope to ensure the congress hold as scheduled but could not, had to appeal to the national headquarters to postpone the exercise indefinitely.