Members Have Lost Confidence in Us, Warns Lagos APC Leader

By Tobi Soniyi and Segun James in Lagos

A leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos and convener of the Broom United Movement, Chief Fouad Oki, has raised the alarm over the dwindling fortunes of the party in Lagos State.

In a letter he sent to the Chairman of APC in Lagos, Chief Henry Ajomale, and copied to the party’s National Leader, Chief Bola Tinubu, Oki‎ said that most members of the party in the state were not happy with the state of things.

Oki, who is the state vice chairman (central) of the party, said APC members had lost confidence in the leaders.

He said: “I honestly cannot fold my arms and pretend as if nothing is wrong in this regard. “: Our party members are not happy with us, they have lost trust and confidence in our ability and capacity to manage the party. Our party and government lack cohesion and synergy.”

Oki, who was the director general of the governorship campaign organisations that got Bola Tinubu, Raji Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode elected as governors, is also challenging the suspension of his Broom United Movement by the state executive of the party.

He said: “I would like to start by saluting your courage to vindicate the position of the Broom United Movement (BUM) in your effort to set up a reconciliatory committee. It is an effort in the right direction.

“However, the legality of the hurried reaction to BUM deserves some attention before the assignment turns to an exercise in futility.

“As a lawyer of long standing status, you will agree with me on the popular dictum that any action in contravention of the ground norm (constitution) will be null, void and of no consequence to the extent of its default. I have been in the trench severally for our party both in our dear state and other satellite states in the course of my political sojourn and have been at the driver seat on so many.‎”

According to him, many members of the party are dissatisfied with APC due largely to the weak political leadership offered by the leaders including himself.

He said: “A good case in point was when we lacked the capacity to rein in the Lagos State House of Assembly during the process of amendment to the Local Government Administration Law, where we attended the public hearing with an opposing position.

“Our weak leadership style cannot drive the party to any victory due to our acts of indiscretion, which could prevent our party from achieving its set goals and subject it to public ridicule.

“I observed with dismay that the APC constitution had been disregarded since the inception of this State Working Committee (SWC), especially in the formation of ad-hoc committees, abandonment of the senatorial districts and change of party structures among others.

“This function, which constitutionally is the sole responsibility of the State Working Committee, has been reduced to the whims of the state chairman contrary to Article 18 (i) and (iii) of our party constitution.

“Today disaffection among party members is deeply entrenched; the structures of the party are not functioning as envisaged by the party’s constitution.

“Particularly, the Senatorial District Executive Committees have more often than not, been bypassed by you without due regard to the grounds norm of the party. “This is clearly manifested in your unilateral choice of members of the State Reconciliation Committee.‎”

He called on the leadership of the party to adhere strictly to the constitution.

Oki stated that majority of members of the reconciliation committee were not qualified to be there in the first instance saying that they are the real problems of grievances and disaffection in the party, being beneficiaries of the distorted scheme of imposition.

“Kindly do the needful by calling a SWC and put the issue before the SWC for consideration and approval,” he added.

He said it was wrong to put officers of the party as members, when they were the ones that would receive reports of the assignment.

He also called on elected and appointed members of the party in government and party officers who are members of the reconciliation committee to recuse themselves from the assignment and allow other members of the party to do it.