The National Chairman
All Progressive Congress
40, Blantyre Street
Wuse II
Abuja.
Sir,
A Call For The Disqualification Of Sen. Smart Adeyemi And Sanction Of The Compromised APC Party Executive Members In Kogi State
In line with the Change Agenda of Our Great Party anchored on the imperative of Justice, Peace and Unity cum your dogged avowed commitment not just to the consolidation on Our Party achievements but also towards a resounding victories in the forthcoming General Elections through a Seamless Transparent, Cohesive and Rancor free Primaries, we consider it imperative to put on records for the umpteenth time and call for your urgent intervention against the Prejudice , Anti-Party Activities and Shenanigans roles of the above listed individuals at fostering on the peace loving people of KOGI WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT – SEN. SMART ADEYEMI at all cost without regards to Fairness ,Equity ,Good Conscience and Party ethos; Acts which are not only capable of decapitating our party cohesive strength at reclaiming Kogi West Senatorial District from the Opposition but making mockery of Our party commitment to the tenets and ethos of democracy.
It is bewildering that despite series petition and protests to Your Good Office Sir, and your recent warning to all State Executives to stay above board in the processes towards our forth coming National Elections Party Primaries, the Kogi State APC EXCOS under the incumbent Chairman, in connivance with the stated above individuals remained undaunted and irrevocably committed with crash impunity at fostering a candidate in Sen. Smart Adeyemi on us with wasteful and extravagant utilization of state Government resources and apparatus without recourse to party guideline and rotational polices which remains an unwritten accord between the people of Kogi West Senatorial District since independent.
It is a common knowledge that Gov. Yahaya Bello in his avowed commitment to jeopardizing our party interest by arrogantly imposing Sen. Smart Adeyemi on us has commissioned all the Kogi State Government appointees and party executives to as a matter of compulsion see to the emergence of his preferred candidate at the primaries in this wise:
- The Congresses of the party that produced delegates that will vote at the indirect primaries were fundamentally flawed because delegate names were merely compiled by the Kogi State Government appointees and state party Executives and later affirmed there were no real congresses held throughout the state to choose the delegates. No wonder Governor Yahaya Bello was hell bent on indirect primaries against the majority demand for direct primaries in the state.
- While the Kogi State Government and APC State EXCOS would ordinarily have being expected to be discrete and show a level of modicum even where they have their preferred and anointed candidate in Smart Adeyemi, it is on records that: Kogi State APC Chairman accompanied by all the seven Local Government areas in Kogi west, Kogi State Assembly Speaker, State Security adviser were all at our National Headquarters in Abuja to purchase the Nomination and Expression of interest form for Sen. Smart Adeyemi which was handed over to him at his residence in Maitama Abuja and submitted on Monday, 17th September,2018 against the official closing date for returns of the Nomination and Expression fixed by the party on 12th September 2018.(it is to be noticed that extension for submission of form purchase and submission of form was only granted to Kwara State and officially announced by the part –there was no official communication of extension for submission of form extended to Kogi Chapter of the party).
- Local Government Administrators, Political appointees and Legislators from Kogi West were all given matching orders by the state Governor to deliver in their areas or risked being booted out of office. In this wise, Timi Joseph brazenly went ahead to inaugurate committees across the wards cycles during which he expressly donated some motto cycles to the committee members in his Local Government which is being replicated across the local Government by state Government Appointees to work on delivering delegates votes for Sen. Smart Adeyemi at the primaries.
- Kogi State government officials have been mobilized with state resources to collect all the tags of delegates and through monetary inducement confer undue advantage on the anointed candidate (Sen. Smart Adeyemi) by the Governor. We reliably gathered that Alh. Ibrahim Adoga, Gov. Yahaya Bello’s Special Adviser on Multilateral, Donor Agencies and Special Projects has been tasked to handled Lokoja /koto Federal Constituency in the assignment. While the primaries are to be conducted late into the night so as to allow for manipulation of the already compromised process.
- Expression of interest and nomination forms were equally purchased by the Kogi state Government so as to break the ranks of the of the aspirants from the axis. This is rather unfortunate and a grave disservice to our party interest.
- Ropo Asala as the Zonal Party Vice Chairman for Kogi West who is coincidentally saddled with the task of facilitating the conduct of free and fair primaries within the Kogi West Senatorial District is equally the same person commissioned as arrow head with the responsibility of delivering Sen. Smart Adeyemi by the State Government at all cost and in return he has embarked on campaign of threats intimidation and coercion within the senatorial District with state Government resources. The question is where is the fare play?
- Machineries have equally being put in place by the Kogi State Government and state executives to warehouse delegates who have been compromised to ensure their anointed aspirant Smart Adeyemi clinch the ticket.
It is to be noticed that Kogi West Senatorial District Comprises of Seven Local Government Area and from 1999 till dated Ijumu LGA where Sen. Smart Adeyemi hails from have benefited the Senate slot for good 12years(twelve) whereas the rest Local Government Areas in the Senatorial District are lying in wait to deliver victory for the party which stand threatened by the selfish ambition of individuals and fragrant disregards for good conscience and fair play.
Arising from the foregoing:
- That the Kogi state Government, APC Chairman in conjunction with the state APC actors have already compromised the system in the Kogi West Senatorial District to favour Smart Adeyemi is not in doubt.
- It is equally obvious that Sen. Smart Adeyemi did not submit his expression of interest and nomination form within the stipulated time by the party thereby rendering the subsequent submission without the extension of time granted non and void.
- The Kogi State Government along with party Excos and named Government appointees have shown unbridled favoritism, disregards for part internal democracy and suppression of fair play in their selfish voyage of fostering unpopular candidate on the party.
- That state resources is being use to prosecute individual ambition at the expense of individual loyal party members who are working day and night for the victory of the party is rather unfortunate.
- The successful manipulation of the primaries if allowed and remain unchecked to favour preferred candidates will surely not augur well for the party at the general elections as such impunity will be resoundingly protested through lawful medium.
- There is an urgent need and intervention to check the ranging abuse of processes, impunity and compromised by the Kogi State Government and the APC state Excos at hijacking the wishes of Loyal Party members for selfish individual interest.
- There is no modicum of neutrality by the Kogi State APC Executives towards the conduct of the party forthcoming primaries.
OUR PRAYERS:
- The immediate sanction of Kogi State APC Chairman and Hon. Ropo Asala
Zonal Vice Chairman Kogi West, APC for their complicit and compromised roles toward the conduct of Kogi west Party primaries.
- Immediate disqualification of Sen. Smart Adeyemi from Kogi west Senatorial District Primaries for not submitting his expression of interest and Nomination forms within the time stipulated by the party and for infringing on party constitution, elections guidelines and lawful directives of the NWC on party guidelines on the conduct of the Party primaries .
- That Kabba be retain as the neutral venue for the conduct of Kogi West Senatorial District Primaries which is equally significant as the center for Kogi West Senatorial District.
- Ropo Asala along with the Local Government Administrators from Kogi West and Government appointees should be stopped forthwith from taking further part toward the party primaries for their continuous bias and impunity against loyal party members who have rights to aspired under the party constitution without being prejudiced.
- Drafting of neutral and nonpartisan individuals from National Working Committee of the party to conduct Kogi West Senatorial Primaries to checkmate the compromised stance of individual within the Senatorial District and avoid untoward outcome for our Dear party at the general elections.
- Provision of adequate security at the venue of the Primaries to check against intimidation of delegates and that the primaries should not be allowed to dovetail into the night as there are orchestrated plans to manipulate the outcome of the primaries.
We are encouraged by your dogged steps at engendering internal democracy within our party and well publicized final pronouncement on the conduct of Our Party primaries across the country that any State Executive found to be involved in imposing ,endorsement and contrived sole candidacy among others in the primaries will attract stiff penalties including the dissolution of such State Executive Committee and we implore your urgent intervention in this regards so as to save our party from unwarranted implosion and the attendant grave consequences.
Signed:
Hon. Dayo Aiyeku
Chairman, Kogi West APC Vanguard
Kayode Orisafunmi
Secretary, Kogi West APC Vanguard
