By Oluwakemi Ishola
Senator Ridwan Adesoji Akanbi who represented Oyo South senatorial district between 2015 – 2019 has said Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala has the required political credentials to lead the reconciliation committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC,in Oyo State.
However, Akanbi who revealed this in an exclusive interview with OYOINSIGHT.COM on Tuesday, stated that the former governor needs to study the “progressive political family” in the state.
Soji Akanbi’s reaction is in sharp contrast to the position of former Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, who said ex Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala was not qualified to lead the reconciliation of the aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Reacting to questions about whether the APC in the state has what it takes to defeat the PDP in the 2023 elections, he said, “Of course, yes. I believe so. Nothing is invisible. I strongly believe that whatever happened in the last elections, the disunity within APC contributed to it. It was APC versus APC. It’s a known fact. it’s not hidden.”
He stated further that the internal crisis that tore the APC apart in the state started from the day the party held two parallel congresses.
“Those things started from the day we held two parallel congresses, when we had the two stadia in Ibadan fully loaded. I can imagine if that day, all the party members appeared in one stadium. That stadium cannot even accommodate us.
“That was the beginning and fundamental problem that led to our loss and that’s the truth,” Akanbi added.
He also revealed that it’s so difficult for him to assess the current executive leadership of the party in the state because of the woeful performance of the party in the last elections.
Asked whether he is in support of the Alao-Akala led reconciliation committee, he said, “if it’s a reconciliation that is genuine and very transparent, it is welcome on a serious note. Former governor Alao-Akala is my Egbon.
“A 70-year-old man is an elder statesman. He was a governor for five years for God’s sake, three years as deputy governor. He was a local government chairman once or twice? He has the credentials to be a leader but my opinion is this: sometimes if you are in a new family, you need time to study that family. My advice for him is to take his time and study the progressive family.”
Akanbi, who contested the 2019 senatorial election under the platform of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, also stated that he has been in touch with some of his former colleagues who defected from the APC to the ADC with him ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“We are talking every day and the response we are getting is very positive. I talk to them and… I can’t talk on their behalf but the response we are getting; the signal we are getting is truly positive. Because if we are not here together today, believe me, they have a reason for still staying behind but I can tell you that progressive blood flows in their veins,” the former lawmaker said.
