Following the recent ward congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state, the five-member Appeal Panel raised by the party’s national headquarters in Abuja to listen to complaints has said it was yet to receive any petition from the aggrieved party members.
The members of the committee are: former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Chief Iyiola Oladokun, as Chairman, ex-House of Representatives member, Hon. Abdullahi Sadiq, as Secretary, while Hon. Chiedu Eluemunoh, Hajiya Saratu Sabo and Hajia Talatu Nasir, are members.
Oladokun, who addressed journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Monday, said they were despatched to Ekiti from the national headquarters to entertain complaints raised in respect of the congress held on 31st July,2021.
He said the panel, which arrived Ekiti state Sunday evening ruled out the possibility of making recommendations to the party on sharing of positions.
“To the best of our knowledge, neither has any petition been submitted nor forwarded to the APC national secretariat from Ekiti state.
“We are here to let our members know that we are around and ready to listen to all issues that have arisen from the congresses. We will entertain every petition at our state party secretariat here in Ado-Ekiti”.
The panel said the Caretaker Committee and Extraordinary National Convention Committee, headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni, has not given the committee the mandate to share positions, but to listen to complaints and suggest how best to get justice for the aggrieved members.
He said: “We can only make recommendations based on what we are able to gather from both the aggrieved and winners. We are not here to apportion blames or share positions. We are here to listen dispassionately to issues and make recommendations”.
On reported cases of gunshots and distruption of appeal panel sittings in some states,Oladokun assured that stringent security measures will be put in place to ensure the safety of the panelists and petitioners.
He added: “We will like to appeal to our people that whoever has complaints or observations about the conduct of the congress should come forward and present his case.
“We want to assure our members that as members of the same political family, we will listen to them. The beauty of democratic practice in politics is to listen to ourselves and do justice where necessary.
“Our people must feel free to come to us. Whatever they bring,we will look into it based on merit and make necessary suggestions to our leaders at the headquarters”.
Oladokun stated that the number of days the committee will sit on petitions would depend chiefly on the volume of petitions received from members.
