Rotimi Akeredolu
Withdraws suit against party, disowns Unity Forum
The factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr. Idowu Otetubi, has collapsed his executives with the APC faction led by Ade Adetimehin, saying he was tired of balkanising the party.
Otetubi, who led the APC factional executives to address journalists at a press conference in Akure yesterday, withdrew the case, FHC/AK/CS/10/2019, which challenged the composition of the State Executive Committee of the party.
The APC chieftain, who decried the consensus crisis within Unity Forum, added that he had chosen to reconcile with the duo and work for the success of the party in the forthcoming governorship election on October 10, 2020.
He said: “The recent decision on consensus candidate by some leaders of Unity Forum has no doubt shown that we were not guided by altruism but self-serving interest.
“The time has come for us to end this exercise in futility and halt the needless distractions that we have given to the parent-body, APC. The unity we craved for, in a group that was propelled by sheer envy, jealousy and greed, has thus far remained elusive.
“I have withdrawn unconditionally my case in court in suit No: FHC/AK/CS/10/2019, which challenged the composition of the State Executive Committee of the party.
“These decisions are purely informed by my unquenchable desire for the progress of the state and the APC, particularly the Ondo State chapter.
“I am politically experienced enough to determine when a battle has been deflated. The party must move on and the government needs to be encouraged to do more for the good people of the state.”
Otetubi, who hinged his support for the re-election of Governor Akeredolu on the successes achieved in education, health, infrastructural development, agriculture, industrialisation of the state, further said: “I want to use this opportunity to call on my former colleagues in the Unity Forum to be broad-minded in their agitations and reasonable in their campaigns.
“We should begin to discourage erecting pillars of enmity within our own party, APC. This will, without contention, be a gross disservice to the state chapter.”
“It would amount to unrivalled callousness for any individual or group to allow himself/itself to be used to scuttle the very bright chances of Ondo State APC in the forthcoming governorship election like it happened in Zamfara State.”
