Ondo CPC Crisis May Threaten Buhari's Presidential Ticket
LAGOS, Feb 06, (THEWILL) - The ambition of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Presidential candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari may be nullified due to an internal crisis rocking the Ondo State Chapter of the party, if exploited by political opponents.
The threat was expressed in a letter by the CPC state Secretary dated January 21, 2011 and titled: “General Buhari’s Presidential Ticket.”
The letter stated that the party’s national body has refused to recognize the democratically elected executives of the Ondo State chapter of the party after its January 04, 2011 convention. It said the national body of the party still “recognises the protem Chairman, Mr. Banji Ayiloge.”
The letter signed by CPC State Secretary, Mr. Gabriel Agbokosijiri, stated that all the executive members of the state chapter constituted parts of the delegates that elected Buhari at the party’s convention, though they were later abandoned by those he described as “enlightened interests” within the party.
Speaking with THEWILL, Chairman of the state chapter, Mr. Sola Agboola said; “the plan not to recognise the democratically elected executives could be a plot against Buhari within the CPC because it has legal implications if they say the delegates who elected him are no longer recognised. The party is now dealing with Banji Ayiloge, who was the pro tem chairman before the state congress of December 18.”
Agboola asked where “is it done that a pro tem chairman would be recognised as a chairman after a congress has been held. According to the report on the CPC state congress, I was declared the elected chairman of the party.
“Before the congress, I have correspondences from the national headquarters to show that I was recognised as the chairman. In fact, I was mobilised to bring state delegates to Abuja,” he stated.
Agboola said it is even “indicting on the national party to recognise Ayiloge as the chairman because he was not even a delegate and had no business at the national congress.