The All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State chapter, has issued a directive prohibiting its party executives from publicly supporting or promoting any governorship aspirants.
The State Chairman of the party, Lawal Sooko, gave the warning on Saturday during a meeting with the embattled local government chairmen and APC chairmen in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.
According to him, the directive is part of the strategy mapped out to instill discipline in the party, with the aim of promoting peace, cooperation, and unity among party members.
Lawal stated that it is wrong for titled members of the party to turn themselves into instruments of division in their efforts to promote their preferred governorship aspirants.
He threatened to sanction any executives who do not adhere to the directive.
Lawal said, “Any executive member of our party at all the levels be it at the unit, ward, local government, senatorial and national is disallowed from coordinating for any governorship aspirants.
“There is need to perpetuate injection of sanity into our party. The altercations oozing out from the members of the same political family all in the guise of selling their preferred candidates are worrisome, embarrassing and less dignifying.
“Those of us who are guilty in this regard should do self-inspection with a view to turning over a new leaf as the party would not hesitate to wield a big stick on any of our members who crosses the red line about this golden directive which is meant for the fortification of our party before the next year’s governorship election.
“Let me again state here unequivocally that the party has not released the guidelines on the election and that whenever it is released, it will not be done under the table. It would be made available to everyone.
“It becomes imperative for the aspirants to call their foot soldiers and supporters to order and educate them on how important it is for them to play the game according to the rule as any recalcitrant agent may be a source of political despair to his principal.
“The cacophonous noise is too deafening and causing avoidable disaffection within the party and we would not be doing our party any good if we should close our eyes to same as it is inimical to the wellbeing of the party.
“We are going into the next year’s governorship election to win. No one is greater than the party. Whoever contravenes the directive of the party would be sanctioned. The supremacy of the party is non-negotiable. Our party has not anointed any aspirant as our candidate.
“Go home and relay the party’s directive to the affected individuals. Let’s play the game according to the rule. It is not proper for co-aspirants to engage in abusing each other and subsequently creating needless division in the party.
“Though it is necessary to point out that the copious number of the striving governorship aspirants in our party is an indication that our party is potent, healthy and truly democratic but don’t let us overstretch our luck in order to achieve our political goal of sending the ruling government packing by the way of next year’s governorship poll”, the state APC chairman counselled.
