A former lawmaker and the first female Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, has warned members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state against alleged anti-party activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Akindele, who described herself as a concerned member of the party, said the alleged decision by some APC members to support candidates of opposition parties could have serious consequences for the party if not urgently addressed.
In a statement on the development, the former Speaker said it was no longer news that some APC members were allegedly courting and working for members of opposing parties seeking elective offices in the 2027 elections.
She, however, dismissed insinuations that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was aware of, or supported, such moves, arguing that it would amount to political suicide for any governor to deliberately encourage activities capable of weakening his own party.
Akindele also warned that the growing discontent within the party could undermine the APC’s electoral prospects across the state if urgent reconciliation was not undertaken.
According to her, the situation being witnessed in Ondo South Senatorial District could spread to other parts of the state if the grievances arising from the party’s internal processes were not addressed.
“A party is a function of the people who are her members. If the machinery of the party is moved in a way that it is at disconsonance with its people who, mind you, are flesh and blood, what you see right now in Ondo South is what you may see all across the state before December”, she said.
“I may condemn it and I do so in no uncertain terms, but I also understand it. These people have been hurt. They are flesh and blood. They have a right to cry foul and they certainly have the propensity to exact revenge on the party.”
Akindele criticised the reconciliation committee set up by the state chapter of the party, arguing that those who felt aggrieved by the outcome of the party’s internal processes should not be the ones primarily responsible for leading the reconciliation process.
She urged the national leadership of the APC and the affected candidates to urgently establish credible reconciliation mechanisms capable of addressing the grievances of aggrieved members.
She said “You see the reconciliation committee set up by the state party? It is nonsense. It is a whole set of candidates from a whole line of leadership that were “robbed”, is it now them that are setting up a reconciliation committee?! Who is offended?
“Who is seeking reconciliation? Who is supposed to appeal to whom? If the national party and or the candidates themselves do not quickly set up their respective reconciliation committees, they will continue to experience these ruptures all around.
“In spite of my above position, I want to appeal to all the disaffected or disgruntled members of the APC to please sheathe their swords. In all we do we must realize that we all have futures that must be protected.
“We have names which we hope will outlast us for good. To stay in a party and work against it is not only unconscionable, it is dishonorable. You cannot allow yourself to be likened to the insect which lives under a leaf and yet feeds on the leaf. Let an untainted conscience be your guide.
“When the committees, local, state or national gets to you, please allow yourself to be appeased knowing that you cannot kill the future of your own children in party politics by your present dissatisfaction,”
The former Speaker, however, appealed to aggrieved party members to sheathe their swords, stressing that remaining in a party while working against its interests was unacceptable.
She said members should consider the long-term consequences of their actions and avoid allowing present political disagreements to destroy their future political relevance.
Akindele said, “To stay in a party and work against it is not only unconscionable, it is dishonourable. You cannot allow yourself to be likened to the insect which lives under a leaf and yet feeds on the leaf. Let an untainted conscience be your guide.”
She urged members to give peace and reconciliation a chance whenever the various committees approached them, noting that political differences should not be allowed to destroy the future of the party or that of its members.
The former Speaker also reaffirmed her support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC, saying her position was not motivated by support for any individual faction or candidate.
“I’m neither for Paul nor for Apollo. I am for APC. I stand on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for continuity. Whatever it takes,” she declared.
Akindele further stressed the need for the party to learn from the current situation and act before the grievances become widespread, quoting the Yoruba maxim, “Nkan ti a ba se l’oni, itan lo o ma da l’ola,” meaning that whatever is done today becomes history tomorrow.