By Muyiwa Adeyemi

Ibadan — The seemingly unresolved internal crisis within the Oyo State chapter of APC went from bad to worse, as two parallel congresses in the state produced two different sets of officers, amid claims by both camps that their congresses were monitored by INEC officials and congress committee members from Abuja.

An executive committee, led by the former chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke and Governor Abiola Ajimobi, held its congress at the Adamasingba Sports Complex, while another group, led by Alhaji Isiaka Alimi and Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, was at the Obafemi Awolowo (Liberty) Stadium, Ibadan.

Also at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium were the Senator representing Oyo Central, Monsurat Sumonu; eight members of the House of Representatives; party leaders; and 22 out of the 26 outgone executive members of the party in the state. Former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and former Senate leader, Teslim Folarin, joined Ajimobi at Adamasingba.

The chairman of the congress committee and former governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abdullah Gwarzo, said he was not aware of parallel congresses in the state, pointing out that he monitored the congress at the Adamasingba Stadium along with the INEC officials, describing same as a success.

Also, Ajimobi described those who held a parallel congress as failures, saying his group is the authentic one and has the mandate of the national secretariat and INEC.

On his part, Shittu said the parallel congress was as a result of demand for justice in the party, stressing, “This congress is to liberate our people from impunity. It is to liberate our party from imposition. It is to liberate our people from oppression. We are not going to be violent, but we shall use our broom to liberate us.”