The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has constituted a Reconciliation Committee to address grievances arising from the party’s recently concluded primaries and the emergence of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The State Chairman of the party, Hon. Babatunde Kolawole, announced the development during a visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Akure, saying the committee would be chaired by the Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Prince Biyi Poroye.
Kolawole said the decision followed consultations with the party leadership, stressing that disagreements after party primaries were normal and that the APC had internal mechanisms to resolve them.
“There is no way we will go through political activities without issues. There will be political bickering, there will be arguments, but one thing that is good about our party is that we have internal mechanisms for resolving disagreements,” he said.
According to him, the party had gone through a hectic political calendar, including congresses, zonal and national conventions, by-elections, as well as the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate primaries, making disagreements inevitable.
“These are political activities that will always result in one issue or another. There is no way one can get all of this done without disagreements. After completing the cycle, the next thing is to sit down as leaders and resolve the issues that have arisen,” he stated.
Kolawole said the emergence of candidates for the various elective positions marked the completion of that phase, adding that the reconciliation process had now commenced.
“We’ve done extensive consultations with the leadership, and approval has been given to set up a Reconciliation Committee that will hit the ground running immediately,” he said.
He disclosed that Prince Biyi Poroye would lead the committee alongside “very competent stakeholders and leaders with both state and national coverage” to reconcile aggrieved members.
Responding to concerns over alleged divisions within the APC and complaints by some dissatisfied aspirants, including former Commissioner for Energy, Razaq Obe, Kolawole said every aspirant had the constitutional right to express personal opinions but insisted such views did not represent the position of the party.
“Those who did not win have every right to express their opinions. Razaq Obe is entitled to his opinion. He did not speak on behalf of the party, the government or the leadership. He spoke as an individual,” he said.
The APC chairman maintained that the disagreements were not strong enough to divide the party in Ondo State.
“For me, these are normal political issues. They are not strong enough to divide us as a party. We have internal mechanisms to resolve them, and that is exactly what the Reconciliation Committee has been established to do,” he added.
Kolawole also dismissed claims that the absence of a strong opposition in the state posed a threat to democracy, arguing that the APC’s growing popularity was driven by what he described as the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s “OUR EASE” agenda.
He disclosed that the party had registered about 84 support groups across the state and was targeting a minimum of one million votes for President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the support groups would be properly coordinated through the party structure while mobilisation efforts would continue at the grassroots ahead of the official commencement of campaigns.