A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, Emmanuel Gbogi, has made a plea to the party’s state leadership to reconsider and release the party’s suspended members in the interest of peace.
According to reports, the party in the Akoko West Local Government area recently suspended no fewer than 31 party members, including elected officials from Akoko South West Constituency 1, for their alleged anti-party activities, which harmed the APC’s chances of winning the House of Assembly election in the constituency.
Gbogi, the APC candidate for the state’s House of Assembly seat representing Akoko South West Constituency 1 in the March 18, 2023 election, expressed appreciation for the party’s disciplinary process, which resulted in the suspension, but insisted that the party would need to come together for the upcoming local government and governorship elections.
The APC leader stated that “the party will emerge stronger and more united if the suspended members are pardoned” in an open letter he personally signed and dated 10 May 2023 and addressed to Ade Adetimehin, the party’s chairman in Ondo State.
The letter was made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, on Friday.
He said, “As you are aware, I lost the election. There are allegations of conspiracy against me from some members of the party in Oke Oka because I am from Iwaro-Oka. I also got to know that the party has taken disciplinary action against some of these members who participated in anti-party activities that led to my loss in the election.
“While I appreciate the party’s effort to maintain discipline and order, I urge you to temper justice with mercy. I implore you to seek alternative ways of ensuring unity in the party. This becomes indispensably imperative, as the local government and governorship elections are just a matter of months away.
“I write to implore you to trigger and emplace reconciliation mechanisms that will bring about lasting peace and love in our constituency and Akoko South West Local Government in general.”
He noted that as a progressive to the core, even though he is the principal and immediate victim in the said conspiracy, he has moved on and so wishes the party to do the same. “I believe that the party must come together to build a virile, more united, and impregnable structure in Ondo State. This can only be achieved if we put aside our differences and work together for the good of the party,” Gbogi said.
