Ondo APC, united we stand-

By Ayodele Fagbohun
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It came out of the blue the Supreme Court verdict that upheld Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (SAN) as the validly elected candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary.

He eventually emerged winner as the popularly elected governor of Ondo State in the guber polls on November 16, 2016.

Thus it put paid to the two year long drawn energy, time dissipating and exasperating legal tussle which ought to have been canalised towards full mobilisation of available resources and man- power for effective governance.

In any event, all lovers of democracy and popular government must rejoice and celebrate the Supreme Court judgement in its entirety for giving the people of Ondo State the much desired victory and for setting the state on the fast lane of accelerated development once again.

Rather than taking a giant step backwards per adventure, the judgement went in favour of the plaintiff, our judiciary deserves a pat on the back in exercising great courage on the need to be cost effective on the task of consolidating good governance, on track by the present Akeredolu led administration vis-a-vis the inauguration of another brand new personnel in the same garb of APC led administration.

This will be tantamount to a new beginning all over again wearing a new attire on the same body which should have reduced the earnest business of governance to jejune affairs.

By all means, the Governor, Arakunrin Odunayo should be commended for his spirit of equanimity while the legal tussle lasted, for keeping faith with the good people of Ondo State, by being resilient and determined to soldier on in the religious pursuit of the policies of his administration.

Now, the war not only the battle is completely won.  It is time the ugly past festered with innuendoes, insinuations and rumour mongering was put behind us.  APC as a united family must forge ahead militantly to regain all lost grounds during the period of needless internal crisis fueled by the fifth columnists that infiltrated our ranks; and consolidate, restore Ondo State to its former prestige status as the cynosure of progressive politics and nursery of democracy.

I make bold to say and with all humility that history is my witness, it is very extraneous for any progressive party, APC should not be an exception to be enmeshed in intra party feud and squable dragging its name in the mud to the ridiculous extent of approaching the court for settlement.

Party supremacy and respect for leadership at every stratum of party/government is sacrosanct unlike what obtains in the conservative and un-organised political set up gestated and nurtured to steal and pillage public coffers with impunity as empirically demonstrated by the notorious People’s Democratic Party in the 16 years of misrule in the country (1999-2015).

It must be re-emphasised from the foregoing that APC as fledgling ideological political party of the left is in government to work assiduously and selflessly for the best interest of the people; to alleviate poverty amongst the citizenry; prioritise the welfare of workers and amongst others create enabling environment for private and public sectors to play its statutory roles in the economy.

If this being the case as it is of course, there is no moral right whatsoever for any person/group to constitute as law unto themselves to hold the state or the nation to ransom as the case may be.  Any person no matter how highly placed must adhere strictly to party supremacy which in other words is party discipline to checkmate the type of indiscipline, political/brigandage and naked self interest inflicted and occasioned irreparable damage on the Senator Bukola Saraki/Rep. Yakubu Dogara led 8th National Assembly.

Such a notorious and licentious of bedlam National Assembly shall never rear its ugly head to corrode our national politics with impunity again.

In the high sprit of no victor and no vanguished.  I humbly call upon all stakeholders to sink their differences, close ranks and fizzle out all the existing camps and factions that hitherto polarise the rank and file of the party and come together in the true spirit of reconciliation.

We must put the past behind and look forward to move the party ahead as a disciplined political outfit.

Towards this end, the governor, Arakunrin Odunayo Akeredolu as sui generis formost leader in the party should take the bull by the horns and with immediate effect start the process of reconciliation by extending olive branch to all the leaders at loggerheads on the running of the party across the state with a view of giving the party a new lease of life.

With especial reference to the embattled former chairman, and his group should be pacified and his leadership acknowledged in accordance with the mantra no victor; no vanguished in vogue.

Senator Olorunnimbe Farukanmi led Elders’ forum is equally a major player in the process of reconciliation devoid of arrogance and grandstanding but with all humility to serve and spirit of esprit de corps.

All spirited efforts to galvanize and rejig All Progressives Congress (APC) to fully regain our lost grounds mainly in Ondo South Senatorial district to the brazen conservatives will in no small way convince all and sundry that APC as a progressive political outfit has truly come out of the crisis stronger and more virile; for in unity we stand.

Ayodele Fagbohun, writes from Akure