•Nentawe Yilwatda and APC flag
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has not taken a decision on the Osun State governorship election, its National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda said yesterday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke on Saturday defeated APC governorship candidate Bola Oyebamiji with 511,000 to 444,000 votes, reports The Nation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated the governor, who yesterday received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (NEC).
Yilwatda spoke in Ibadan during a visit to reconcile members of the Oyo State chapter of the party, who are feuding over the governorship primary, won by Senator Sarafadeen Ali.
He described the disagreement as a normal family affair that will be amicably resolved and ultimately strengthen the ruling party.
The APC chair noted that the party remains stable and united despite internal disagreements over primaries in some states.
He said from his discussions with Oyo State party members, they are ready to work together for the success of the party.
The chairman said: “We are a family and it’s a family issue. And it’s normal for children of the same family to have some little challenges. But they are issues that can be settled within the party.
“And we are happy that the party is still stable, the party is still good. And from the discussion we are having with members, they are prepared to work with us to succeed. So, we are good.”
On reconciliation of aggrieved members in the APC ahead of the elections, Yilwatda said it is a process and not a one-day affair, assuring that the process is ongoing.
It was noted the absence of the aggrieved governorship aspirants, under the aegis of G6 including: Rauf Olaniyan, Akeem Agbaje, Prince Musbau Asatola, Hakeem Alao and Dr. Usman Bakare among others, at the meeting.
Speaking on Osun governorship poll, the chairman said the outcome was not a failure for the APC, noting that despite the state government controlling the machineries of government, the APC put up a good fight.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he noted, allowed a free and fair election, saying that opposition parties had accused the APC of planning to deploying state machinery and security before the election, but after the election they described it as one of the best and free and fair.
He said: “You discover that the election was peaceful, the election was rancor free. And APC showed maturity to ensure that the accusation earlier made by the opposition, while using state machinery, while using security against them, while using everything against them. Immediately after the election, they said this was one of the best elections conducted, it’s free and fair.
“All the accusations disappeared overnight. Just 24 hours before the election, they labelled all manner of accusations. But that tells the kind of maturity we have in the party.
“And that’s the reason even the governor of Osun, who I met as a candidate, saw the maturity, saw how we displayed sportsmanship in the election, immediately said that he’s supporting President Bola Tinubu for second term,” he stated.
He added that the party has not yet taken an official position on the outcome of the election, because such a decision will be taken by the National Working Committee (NWC) after meeting with the candidate and reviewing what happened.
Yilwatda added: “We have the party, yes, but we have the candidate also, who participated in the election. We have not sat down to review as a party, to take a position as a party.
“So, we haven’t taken a position as a party because the position of the party will involve not just us alone. It will involve the NWC, inviting the candidate, and taking a review of what happened in Osun State. You cannot take a position for a party. Not for now. The party has not taken any position.”
The chairman also spoke on the economy and the reforms initiated by President Bola Tinubu, explaining that the reforms: including tax reform, subsidy removal and fixing of the foreign exchange market, have given more money to state governors.
He said while he cannot speak for what governors are doing with the increased allocation, President Tinubu’s work at the federal level is visible.
He listed the coastal road project, the plan to build five deep seaports and the construction of major highways including the Lagos Expressway and the Ibadan to Ilorin road. He said the roads are now being built with concrete that can last over 100 years.
On tax reforms, he said the government has removed tax on basic needs of the people.
“You don’t get taxed on education. You don’t get taxed on food items. You don’t get taxed on housing. You don’t get taxed on building materials,” he said, adding that tax has also been removed on medication.
He said people earning less than N800,000 per year and businesses with turnover below N100 million per year will no longer pay tax.
According to him, this shows the government is not bringing poverty to the people but relieving the poor.
Chairman of the Oyo APC governorship primary reconciliation committee, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, said the party has been holding meetings to unite members.
He gave a background to the setting up of the committee explaining that some members were unhappy after the primaries and expressed their disappointment and to address this, the APC set up the reconciliation committee to look into their complaints and find ways to move the party forward together.
Lanlehin said the party knows that no political process can be perfect and disagreements are normal, but unity is needed to win.
He stated that despite the challenges, the APC has the strength and capacity to win all elections in 2027, from the presidency to governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats.
The former senator added that the party just had a fruitful meeting with the APC chairman and members of the committee, who will look into the issues raised by aspirants, and plans are also underway to meet with President Bola Tinubu, who is the leader of the party.
On lessons from the Osun election, Lanlehin said the main lesson is that nothing beats unity. He said the party has learnt not to take anything for granted and that it is better to have more support than less.
He noted that the reconciliation process is ongoing and the party will continue to work for more success every day until Election Day.
The senator appealed to leaders, stakeholders and aspirants to embrace unity, saying only in unity can the party find strength and victory.
He said the APC has been out of government in the state for eight years and members do not want to stay out any longer.
Lanlehin expressed confidence that the party will return to government and win the three senatorial districts, 14 federal constituencies and 32 state assembly seats.
