APC Revalidation exercise: Titanic battle between two groups in Ekiti over 2022 election

In the ongoing membership registration and revalidation ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) congress and the 2022 governorship poll in Ekiti state may worsen the internal rife between the groups of governor Kayode Fayemi  and Senator Babafemi Ojudu.

It is unarguable that the 2022 governorship election, which is less than a year away, and the governor Fayemi tenure ends on October 16, 2022.

Newsflash gathered that there is no end in sight to the crisis in the troubled Ekiti State chapter of the APC.

The membership registration and revalidation exercise cum congress will be a titanic battle between the warring tendencies in Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) is simply stating the obvious.

This is because the two camps would see the exercises as avenue to capture the party’s architectural structure and soul ahead of the 2022 governorship poll in the state.

A source said a high ranking officer of the party at a meeting mooted the idea of utterly ostracizing Fayemi’s enemies from the APC by preventing them from participating in the ongoing revalidation exercise, but the idea was discarded for being “pedestrian and against common sense” as there are other ways to deal with them.

But, an impeccable source close to the Ojudu-led group told our reporter that the aggrieved leaders have been meeting regularly and strategising for showdown, if eventually they are prevented from the revalidation exercise.

Also, top politician close to Governor Kayode Fayemi hinted that he would not leave anything for chance by ensuring the structures of the party from the ward to the state level are under his firm grip. As a result, Fayemi and his loyalists have been strategising ahead of the looming showdown.

Going by the sequence of events in the party, it is unarguable that the 2022 governorship election, which is less than a year away, is going to be a fight to finish.

Fayemi will be on the ballot, but he surely will be interested in who takes over the baton from him. But, the Ojudu-led group, looks battle ready to take their own pound of flesh and frustrate his succession plan, the attempt Fayemi is ready to wad off and resist with every possible means.

A source said a high ranking officer of the party at a meeting mooted the idea of utterly ostracizing Fayemi’s enemies from the APC by preventing them from participating in the ongoing revalidation exercise, but the idea was discarded for being “pedestrian and against common sense” as there are other ways to deal with them.

But, an impeccable source close to the Ojudu-led group told our reporter that the aggrieved leaders have been meeting regularly and strategising for showdown, if eventually they are prevented from the revalidation exercise.

However, the revalidation exercise may be a showdown as party leaders in Ojudu-led group were conspicuously absent from a stakeholders meeting held with the APC membership registration committe-led by Alhaji Yusuf Galambi.

Present at the meeting, where modalities for the conduct of the excersice were discussed, were Fayemi, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, former Deputy Governor Biodun Aluko, state caretaker chairman, Omotosho, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Biodun Omoleye.

Others include the Deputy Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Hakeem Jamiu, Special Adviser to the governor on Political Matters, David Olusoga, leaders and elders of the party across the 16 local government areas and top government functionaries.

The State caretaker Publicity Secretary, Ade Ajayi, said the notice of the meeting was sent all statutory members, including members of Ojudu-led group except those on suspension over sundry issues. But, the Secretary of the group, Femi Adeleye, denied that they were invited.

 “I am not invited personally. And as the secretary of the Ekiti APC stakeholders forum, we were not invited as a group. And as a person who is qualified to be in that kind of meeting by the virtue of my former position in the state, I was not invited.”

Adeleye said his group would participate in the revalidation. He said: “We would go there to revalidate and confirm our membership status, but when someone want to use local power, you will see what will happen”, he said.

Ajayi said the membership registration and revalidation exercise would be open to everyone, assuring that no individual or group of persons including members of rival tendencies within the party would be prevented from registering.

He noted that the primary purpose was to enlarge the ruling party’s support base and change the decision-making model to bottom-up approach, where every member would be a player in the administration of the party.

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