APC Primaries: Ifo Chairmen Refute Allegations of Councilorship Selection Manipulation
The Forum of Ward Chairmen in Ifo State Constituency 1 has vehemently denied allegations of manipulation in the councillorship selection process, refuting claims that the State Commissioner for Women Affairs & Social Development, Hon. Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, tampered with the process.
The Chairmen in a joint statement issued on Monday, described the accusations as baseless and misleading, noting that the petition filed by a faceless group calling itself “The Concerned Ifo Local Government Constituency 1 APC Party Loyalist” was the handiwork of retrogressive-mindednded people.
They clarified that the screening and ratification process was conducted transparently by accredited Apex leaders and ratified by party members, with no interference from Hon. Adeleye.
The statement partly reads: “The process was not a ‘selection’ but a rigorous screening exercise directed by the Apex leaders of the APC in Ifo Local Government. Hon. Adeleye, a leader in Ifo Constituency 2, has no authority over the decisions made in Constituency 1, and any claim that she unilaterally altered the list is false.”
The chairmen further explained that the screening exercise was documented and recorded to ensure full transparency, pointing out that any suggestions of manipulation were unfounded, as all nominees were chosen through a fair process approved by the majority of party leaders at both the Ward and Local Government levels.
On the petition’s claims focusing on the substitution of Hon. Gbenga Soge’s name for Ibrahim Fadahuntan in Ifo Ward 2, the ward chairmen confirmed that Soge’s nomination had been approved by seven out of nine Apex leaders, urging the State Party Secretariat to investigate the reasons for the substitution, which thinsistedist had nothing to do with Hon. Adeleye.
The Forum emphasized that these accusations were the result of political manoeuvring by individuals seeking to tarnish the hard-earned reputation and rising profile of Hon. Adeleye and disrupt the unity of the party. They called on party leaders and the public to dismiss the petition as a distraction from the party’s ongoing work ahead of the elections.
According to the ward chairmen, the councillorship selection process was adjudged as one of the most transparent in the State and had been widely commended by party members. They reaffirmed their commitment to upholding democratic principles and urged party leadership to disregard the false claims.
The statement concluded with a call for unity within the party faithful, as the Chairmen reassured their support for the submitted councillorship lists and called on all party members to focus on the upcoming councils’ electioneering activities rather than engage in divisive tactics.
