Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo East Local Government Area of Ondo State have passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the party at the state level.
The leaders, who were at the party’s state secretariat in Akure on Tuesday, disassociated themselves from attack by one of the elders of the party in the local government area on Mr Ade Adetimehin, the APC Chairman in the state.
The APC Chairman in the local government area, Mr Busayo Olamigoke, said that the Adetimehin-led state executive had brought unprecedented achievements to the party across the state.
“We, the leaders and members of our great party in Ondo East Local Government, wish to express our implicit confidence in our State Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, and in his ability and capability to provide the needed quality leadership for our party in Ondo State.
“The State Party Chairman’s leadership acumen over the years has resulted in victory for our party in various elections at all levels from the national, state as well as local government.
“And as a result of this, he deserves our unalloyed support which we shall not hesitate to continue to give to him so that he can continue to lead our party to the desired enviable position among the parties in Ondo State.
“The leadership and members of our party in Ondo East Local Government also wish to dissociate ourselves from the activities of Chief Agboola Kelly, the Elders Caucus meeting called by him and the write-up on social media disparaging the person of our indefatigable State Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin,” he stated.
Olamigoke said that the party in the local government area condemned in its entirety the purported write-up as it does not represent the position and interest of the members in the area.
He, therefore, asked that a committee should be constituted to investigate the purported Elders Caucaus and those involved in the online attack.
“We, therefore, strongly recommend and advice that the state should set up a committee to investigate the anti-party activities of Chief Agboola Kelly because he openly worked against the party position and interest during the primaries and general elections of 2023 so as to ascertain the genuineness of his membership of our party.
“Once again, our State Party Chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, can continue to count on our unalloyed support in the best interest of our great party APC, Ondo State Chapter,” he said.
Similarly, Chief Adeniran Okunade, one of the party’s leaders in the local government area, described the party’s state chairman as the one who brought overwhelming victory to the party.
Okunade said that the entire APC in the local government area was solidly behind Adetimehin, asking all to support him for resounding victory for the party in the 2024 gubernatorial election in the state.
In his words, the Publicity Secretary of the party in the local government area, Mr Jimoh Adebayo, said that Adetimehin was a father figure to all in the party, condemning the attack on him.
Responding, Mr Festus Aregbesola, the Chairman of APC in the Central Senatorial District of the state, appreciated the grassroots leaders of the party for their confidence and support for the state chairman.
Aregbesola stated that the Adetimehin-led leadership had worked assiduously for the party at the state and the national level.
“ I thank you for the confidence reposed in our chairman. He is a leader that has done wonderfully. Ondo State has two ministers and APC has 22 members in the state House of Assembly out of 26 members.
“ APC has two senators and all eight members of the House of Representatives are from APC,” he said.
Aregbesola promised that the letter of vote of confidence would be conveyed to the chairman.
He also appealed to members of the party to utilise the internal mechanisms put in place to resolve grievances instead of disparaging the party in the public space.
