‘Retain existing exco in Ondo’
The Coordinator of Ondo All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Movement for Tinubu in 2027, Otunba Agboola Kelly, has cautioned against overhaul of the current party leadership structure in Ondo State.
The Coordinator of Ondo All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Movement for Tinubu in 2027, Otunba Agboola Kelly, has cautioned against overhaul of the current party leadership structure in Ondo State.
Speaking amid growing internal tensions, including recent violent disruptions at APC stakeholders’ meetings and attacks on party leaders like the state Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, Kelly said preserving the existing executives was essential for maintaining unity, stability and momentum toward the 2027 general election.
He said introducing fresh, disruptive changes ‘’at this critical juncture can sow seeds of disaffection, fracture the party’s grassroots base and undermine preparations for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.’’
Such moves, he noted, risked electoral setbacks for the APC in Ondo State by distracting it from core priorities such as consolidating structures, mobilising supporters, enforcing discipline and advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The elders have aligned their support with major stakeholders in the party, saying the recent ward and local government congresses returned the existing executives to ensure party stability ahead of the forthcoming presidential re-election primaries and the 2027 general election.
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Currently in Ondo State, the majority of party members are unhappy about the government’s unpopular appeal against the court judgment that directed the governor to release federal allocations to the local governments.
The appeal is widely viewed as an anti-President Tinubu stance. Hence, any dissolution of ward and local government party executives will cause further havoc to the current mass support for the President’s re-election figures in the coming elections.
The elders believed it was illogical to change the winning team that scored an 18-0 victory for the governor in the recent governorship election.
The APC chieftain said core priorities such as consolidating party structures, intensifying voter mobilisation, enforcing strict discipline, expanding membership through initiatives such as e-registration, and advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda would be severely undermined by personal ambitions, overzealous actions and power struggles.
Other prominent leaders who aligned with Kelly echoed similar sentiments. Dr. M.O. Terebo and Rtd Captain V. Oyepata, both elders in APC circles in Ondo State, also spoke along similar lines, reinforcing the call for stability.
They said any attempt at dissolution or abrupt leadership changes would jeopardise the unity and momentum built by pro-Tinubu groups, including efforts to rally massive support from artisans, trade unions, women, youth and communities across the 18 local governments.
They appealed for calm, introspection, thorough investigations into recent violence, appropriate sanctions, and a renewed commitment to party supremacy and discipline, to avert any self-inflicted setbacks ahead of the critical elections, while stressing that a stable leadership framework would better position the party to deliver strong results in 2027, building and uniting all organs toward peace, progress and victory.
