Kunle Adelabu
Otunba Olasunkanmi Tijani, APC Divisional Chairman (standing 4th left) inaugurating the Reconciliation Committee for Ikorodu, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, Chairman of the committee (3rd left), Bashorun Babatunde Rotinwa (2nd left), Dr Olanrewaju Dixon (left), Aremo Adesegun Ogunlewe (right) and Arch. Taiwo Kara (2nd right), while Rep. Rep Babajimi Benson (4th right sitting) and Oloye Oye Solebo (sitting 2nd right).
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikorodu Division, Otunba Jimoh Olasunkanmi Tijani, has constituted a reconciliation committee for the aggrieved members of the party in Ikorodu to resolve issues emanating from the recently concluded primary elections.
Former Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives and former Vice Chairman, APC, Lagos East, Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, will chair the committee as announced by the party chairman at a special session held at the party’s Secretariat in lkorodu, located along Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikorodu, on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Only two out of about 25 aspirants that contested for the Senatorial, House of Representative and the two State House of Assembly seats in Ikorodu Division, were present at the inauguration of the committee which also had the attendance of party leaders, Divisional and LGA executives and others.
Constituting the committee, Otunba Tijani said that he was acting on the resolution of the apex body of the party that a reconciliation committee should be put in place to resolve the grievances that followed the party’s primary elections, especially the two Assembly seats in Ikorodu Division.
The committee is to reach out to all aspirants from Constituencies 1 and ll , address all the issues of the aggrieved and recommend the way forward and also consider other issues the committee deem relevant to accomplish its assignment.
Other members of the Reconciliation Committee are: Rtd Col. Titi Onafowokan, Alhaji Babatunde Rotinwa, Prince Segun Ogunlewe, Dr (Mrs) Lanre Dixon, Hon. Emmanuel Aguda, Otunba Fatai Sulaimon, Arch Taiwo Kara and Hon Ajetunmobi as Secretary of the committee.
“I am pleased to welcome you all to the inauguration of the Ikorodu Division All Progressive Congress Primaries Reconciliation Committee. The Apex body of the party in the Division, at a general meeting held on 24th of June, 2022, resolved that a nine member reconciliation committee be formed”, he said.
“This step is part of the efforts to reconcile aggrieved members after the recent House of Assembly Primary elections. We all know that having concluded the primaries, it is imperative for all members to close ranks for the victory of the party in the coming 2023 general elections.
“This committee is necessary to enable us address the problems that emanated from the conduct of the intra-party election and see how best we can “calm frail nerves” and for us to continue to work together and put our best foot forward to ensure we are victorious come 2023″.
While commending those aspirants that voluntarily stepped down before the primary, Otunba Tijani charged the preferred candidates of the party to be good sportsmen in victory by embracing other aspirants.
“While using this opportunity to congratulate the candidates, you are, hereby, urged to be humble and reach-out to your opponents and ensure you all work harmoniously for APC to win. You will be regarded as an experienced and mature politicians if you are able to win opponents to your side.
“We are full of gratitude to those aspirants that voluntarily withdrew from the race before the primaries”.
He also expressed the party’s appreciation to the incumbent Assembly representatives for their contributions to the development of the Division and the party.
“To incumbent Assembly members, we say a big thank you for representing us well and for your contributions to the development of the party”.
Asipa Kaoli, the Chairman of the newly inaugurated APC Reconciliation Committee, speaking on behalf of other members, stated that aggrieved members have the right to aspire on the party’s platform, and added that political contest is not a battle and should not be used to undermine or destroy the party.
“In political space, whenever there is a vacancy in a position, there is no limitation to the numbers of eligible aspirants in as much that you are a registered member of the party”, he said.
“The limitation, according to our constitution, is dependent on your educational qualification, that you are not bankrupt, that you are not a criminal and that you are a financial member of the party. Once you can scale all that, you are eligible to contest.
“In contesting, whomever that is going in should bear in mind that x number of people are contesting and just one person is going to be picked, that they should always imbibe the spirit of sposrtmanship. You will win some and lose some.
“It is not a fight to finish; not a fight to die; not a fight to destroy the party or undermine the party because, it could have gone either way at the end of the day”.
While stating that a process that is fair and credible should not make any aspirant aggrieved, the former Commissioner also added that when it does not seem to be so, aggrieved party members should respect the decision of the party which he said is supreme.
“The principles that would facilitate easy reconciliation in political struggle is that the process will be fair, credible, transparent and there is a level playing field for everybody. Once you have those criteria and you go into competition, even when you are defeated, you will be satisfied with the outcome”, Asipa Kaoli said.
“Even when those criteria were not there, what the part of the party’s constitution says is that even after all the struggles and processes, and the party submit a name as its representative as a flag bearer, all other aspirants must submit themselves to the reconciliatory process of the party and should not go to the court.
“You cannot take your family member to the court and come back home to be cordial member of the same family.
“Once the party has submitted a name to INEC, that is the full stop; the supreme decision of the party. You just have to accept the decision. In accepting, you register your name as a bonafide member of the party; as amiable and reliable member”, he added.
“We have seen instances where members took party to court after submitting a name and in all the places it happened, what are the end result? The record is always there for them. The legal officer of the party will always bring out your summon to remind you that you took the party to the court and would stand against such aspirant’s aspiration in future.
“What we want to do now is to put a face; human face to that constitution. There are people who are genuinely aggrieved and the only way that we can assuage their grievances is one to recognize that they are aggrieved, show them recognition and invite them to talk.
“Even when we war, war, war, the end is always talk, talk, talk. When we went to World War I, II and even the Russia and Ukraine, they still come back to the table to talk”.
While asking that anyone that is aggrieved should not to use their grievances to destroy the party, the party chieftain also said that there are other opportunities for party members aside elective positions.
“So, if truly and genuinely you are member of our party, you will not contribute to its downfall in the general elections. We are here and happy to identify with our party because we are winning all the time. Go and look at the other party, nobody want to identify with failures”, he said.
“APC will never fail and in other not to fail, we all have to reconcile, and come together as one family because there are still so many opportunities for fulfillment of ambitions and what we want in the party.
“It is not only through elective posts, there are so many appointments and opportunities.
“What we are praying for is to have good representation in those elective posts and to have access to the seat of power and influence the dividends of democracy to Ikorodu so that we can share to others”.
Asipa Kaoli also charged the party at the state level to consider Ikorodu for more appointments to assuage aggrieved members whom he said have contributed immensely to the party.
“One thing that we must establish is the support that we need from the hierarchy of our party at the top. They should kindly consider lkorodu for more appointments in offices across boards in Lagos State”, he said.
“I am aware that there are about 157 parastatals in Lagos State. Out of these 157 parastatals, how many are headed by Ikorodu indigenes or how many of these aspirants that are struggling have the opportunity to be appointed into them?, Asipa Kaoli asked rhetorically”.
“Very few or nothing and that’s why we are having all these agitations and angst. We are aggrieved. That’s why it’s becoming very difficult to reconcile because after all have been done, what’s the gain; what comes to them; what is the compensation?
“I think that this is a good opportunity to say it that we are appealing to the leadership of the in Lagos, in this regard.
“The party at the top is saying that we should go and reconcile and we have eminent people like Heads of Service, women leader, retired army officer and others that are here to reconcile but we need the support from the hierarchy of government and the leadership of our party to give us that helping hands and more opportunities so that we can distribute to these young people who are aspiring and spending their money and energy all the time to mobilise people into the party so that we will reap the benefit.
“On this note and on behalf of members of our committee who are eminent men of wisdoms and experience, we would do our best to reconcile all our brothers and sisters and by the grace of God, APC will win resoundingly”, he assured.
Hon. Babajimi Benson, the representative of the Ikorodu Federal Constituency, speaking, said that the Local Commission where someone that represented Ikorodu Division led before, is now opened, but added that other stakeholders at the state level are always of the view that Ikorodu is getting more political patronage than others.
“They are saying that only Ikorodu has the Senator, two Commissioners, Secretary to the party at the State level while other local governments do not have anything. They are telling us to look for another person outside Ikorodu but I don’t see any other person except those from Ikorodu. It has to be from Ikorodu”, he said.
“Asipa has said it all that the reconciliation is to ensure that we reflect the symbol of our party which is the broom which signifies unity.
“I believe in the reconciliation. I believe that the party has to be one and more so, in this trying times that we are in competition with other Divisions in the state that are working to pull more votes than us”.
Rep. Benson, while stating that the population in lkorodu requires more budget for infrastructural developments, charged APC leaders and members to ‘shut up’ other Divisions with massive votes and record better outing in the coming elections to get more patronage from the party.
The Candidate of the party for the Ikorodu Constituency II, Mr Aro Moshood Abiodun, also speaking, said that this is the period that party members must come together because they need one another more.
He charged party leaders in the Division to motivate councils and wards in order to deliver in the forthcoming elections so as to record more votes, an initiative that he said he would be introducing to Wards in Constituency ll.
The young candidate also asked party leaders to intervene and help in appealing to party leaders that are ignoring their entreaties for reconciliation.
