2015: PLOT TO SACK ACN IN SOUTH WEST THICKENS

A group of ambitious politicians across several parties in the South West have commenced move to wrestle power from the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

The party presently controls Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Ekiti states in the zone. Ondo, with a Labour Party (LP) governor, is the only non-ACN state in the region.

Saturday Independent gathered that they are strategising to compete against the ACN on different platforms and are already reaching out to different interest groups in the region for support.

Those behind the political move comprised members of LP, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA), aggrieved ACN member and chieftains of some of the parties recently de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has however denied reports linking him to any plot to work against Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and his Ekiti counterpart, Kayode Fayemi, during the 2014 governorship election in both states.

The group working to sack ACN from the six states in the South West, according to an insider, has set up machinery to accommodate the interest of people from different parties by backing consensus candidates to contest all elective offices by using the 2014 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun as test case.

A top governorship aspirant in Ekiti PDP and one of the arrowheads of the group who would not want his name in print confirmed the development.

He said, “for now we are keeping most of our plans to ourselves but we have crossed one of the difficult paths. We have resolved that we are not going to back a particular political party but rather we would pull resources together to sponsor credible people in different parties.

“Our focus is simple; we are tired of the charlatans in ACN giving Yoruba land a bad image. We are reaching out to Afenifere and other groups. We will meet Afenifere leaders soon.

“The progressives are in different political parties. From the responses we are getting, we are going to win the support of most credible Yoruba leaders.”

He added that Nigerians should not “make the mistake of thinking that this is a PDP or a particular party’s project.”

Chief Reuben Fasoranti and Chief Sehinde Arowogbofa, leader and secretary of Afenifere respectively, stated in separate interviews that the socio-political group is yet to take a decision on the concrete road map for future elections.

“We are meeting next week. If you get back to me by then I would be in a position to give you a definite answer on our plans. Afenifere is not a political party, we have our own mechanism of operation,” Fasoranti said.

Arowogbofa added: “We are a responsible organisation. We don’t just take decision like that.

“Remember during the last governorship election in Ondo State, we changed the political permutation within four months.

“The point I am driving here is that even one day is enough to alter any political equation. It is too early now to start gasping with political perspectives concerning 2015 elections.

“We will be meeting soon to review certain things. Maybe when matters like that come up for discussion, a position would be taken.”

Concerning those willing to work with Afenifere, Arowogbofa said, “we don’t know them yet.

“Well, maybe some of our old members who we have not seen for a long time are willing to reunite with us. They are welcome. We are always ready to accommodate them if they are willing to return to our fold.”

Reacting, Publicity Secretary of ACN in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe described the plot to dislodge his party from the South West as a ruse.

“Ask them, do they have the power? Do have the character, content and the wherewithal? Certainly they don’t,” he said.

“Wherever they are coming from, we are not interested in joining issues with them because they have nothing to offer. If you go back to what happened during the Ondo State governorship election, we have reviewed the situation and we knew what they did and how President Goodluck Jonathan helped them to power but we don’t want to talk about that now.

“As far as we are concerned, they can make all the noise, our duty is to get the job done because the people are behind us. So we are not interested in their empty boast and un-purposeful excursion.”

Source: Daily Independent