Below is an extract from Rt Hon Karonwi Oladapo, the APC South West publicity Secretary’s write-up on the attempt by some people to take away the Deputy National Chaairman south from Ekiti to Oyo State.
I urge all of us , particularly the Ekiti sons and daughters as well as the Yoruba people in general to read the extract below very carefully .
The Extract:
‘…This is one battle Ekiti will fight with all that is available to it!
Perish the thought of 2023 ambition? Who told you the north will conceed the position of Presidency to the south in 2023?
Do we,in the South, even have the numbers to defeat an Hausa/Fulani man in the Party primaries?
We are defending our right as a people. Nothing more!!
Kasto-Cicero…’
Having read it, let us now ponder on it a bit.
First, with regard to the position of DNC south, I agree that Ekiti is qualified for this position and should struggle for it. In the past , we applied for this position in the name of Sen Tony Adeniyi, but Sen Adeniyi stepped down for Governor Niyi Adebayo , our current Minister in the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry ,as a mark of respect. The most Distinguished Adeniyi is also an applicant in the current struggle and he is ready to contest under whatever method adopted, whether by consensus or by election. So, to that extent, I agree with Kasto-Cicero that Ekiti is perfectly qualified .
However, if we are to go by the provisions of the constitution of the party ,particularly articles 17 & 20 quoted in the Karonwi’s write-up , all the 17 states in the 3 geopolitical zones in southern Nigeria are qualified to contest once a vacancy exists. In other words, Ekiti , Oyo and the other 15 States are eminently qualified to contest to fill the vacancy. And, if there is going to be an election, all the 36 States and FCT will vote at the convention . Note that only (and all ) aspirants from the 17 States of Southern Zones are eligible to contest for the post of DNC, South
Be that as it may, and to the limit of the contest for the DNC South , three or more persons from Ekiti are in the struggle and Ekiti should support the most qualified aspirant . And who is this most qualified aspirant? Of course, he is no other person than the Most Distinguished Senator Tony Adeniyi (aka Obokun) .
Senator Adeniyi is not only an aboriginal progressive party member, he is an erudite and iconic lawyer who has paid his dues in this party. He had established for himself an un-tainted leadership quality and character in all of the political positions he had had opportunities to occupy. He is completely loyal and reliable in terms of personal dignity , integrity and positive attitude towards the party, APC . His hands are clean. Obokun is a team-player politician
It should be remembered that Sen Adeniyi once planned to contest for the position of DNC South when it was vacant after Governor Segun Oni had resigned from the post to contest the Governorship of Ekiti State but , on discovering that the leader, Otuba Niyi Adebayo was equally interested, Sen Adeniyi voluntarily withdrew from the contest as a mark of respect for Otunba who is now the minister, representating Ekiti State at the Federal Executive Council and Otunba was returned unopposed. As a lawyer who has contributed immensely to the growth of the party right from AD to AC to ACN and to APC, Chief Adeniyi Anthony should naturally be the preferred candidate from Ekiti and we urge all and sundry to support him. There’s no skeleton in his cupboard and his hands are clean. He will , no doubt, represent us well.
Now coming to the digression from the main topic of DNC South to 2023 presidential race by my dear brother and aburo, Rt Hon Karonwi, who often tries to impress us with his political prophecies, analysis and philosophy , I have in the past tried to advise Oladapo to be less loquacious, particularly on very sensitive political matters of this nature , but my aburo would neither listen nor heed the counsel of elders. On most occasions, talking too much before thinking will always lead to disastrous conclusions. And this is what it portends for the present situation
Oladapo appears to be telling us here that no Southerner or Yoruba man is qualified to occupy the seat of president of Nigeria.
He said the ‘thought’ should be perished for any southern Nigerian person to eye the presidency of Nigeria in 2023. His reason is that the South doesn’t have the number to defeat an Hausa/Fulani man. He also gave one other reason the Southerners would not win at the presidential primary election of APC…that the North will not CONCEDE the position of the presidency to the South in 2023.
Hon Karonwi used the word ‘concede’ here . The North has only 19 States as against the South 17. Nobody can say precisely how many aspirants would contest from North and from South to be able to ‘prophesy’ how the votes would go.
The south, particularly South West has supported the so-called Fulani tribe for two terms of 8 years and without the South West, president Buhari would not have won election to become president of Nigeria, haven contested for it on three different occasions without success and haven resolved never to contest again. Was it not the Yoruba that encouraged Baba to try it once again , assuring him of victory, which came to pass? Hon Karonwi is now advocating for another 8 years for Hausa/Fulani president on the reason that they will not CONCEDE the presidency to the south as if it is the birthright of Hausa/ Fulani to rule Nigeria forever .
Hon karonwi was an adult and not too young in 1993 when chief Moshood Kasimaawo Abiola rootlessly defeated Northern Condidates both at the primary and general elections . Abiola was a Southerner, was he not?
Why then should an educated Yoruba man accept defeat even before a battle starts, if not for selfish reason or sychophancy of the highest order ? What is that quality that the Karonwi’s Hausa/Fulani person has that a Yoruba or Southerner doesn’t have? Why is Rt Hon Karonwi promoting Fulani man for 2023 against Yoruba man in view of Yoruba’s contributions to the success of APC? What has that Karonwi’s Hausa/Fulani done to address the security, economy and corruption situation in Nigeria in the past 5 years that a Yoruba/Southern president will not do better ?
It is no longer an unfounded rumour that an Ekiti man, the very person who put Hon Karonwi in his present political positions both in Government and in the party is interested in the presidency, come 2023.
Or, is Hon Karonwi confirming another rumour making the round that the person in question who says he wants to be president is only eyeing Vice presidential seat and not president and has thus been strategically operating in favour of the Karonwi’s Hausa/Fulani to frustrate anything that can bring the presidency of Nigeria to any Yoruba man , come 2023 ?
Kasto-Cicero Karonwi unfortunately, is the spokesperson of the APC in South West and for him to be hitting Yoruba, the most sophisticated, most exposed and most educated of all the tribes in Nigeria in this manner is totally uncalled for and unacceptable.
Coming to think of it, how can Hon Karonwi, the spokesperson of our party in the South West also doubles as a spokesperson for Hausa/Fulani man for 2023 after our support of 8 years for the Fulani?
In the South West, we have prominent leaders who have indicated interest for the presidency of this country , one of such leaders is the National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu who had committed enormous energy , time, financial and intellectual resources to the success of APC and Mr President. It would be most embarrassing if our own South West party Executive is saying NO to the aspiration of South West zone they represent, through the write-up of Hon Karonwi, the spokesperson of the zone.
Can Hon Karonwi claim to be speaking for himself and not for the South West APC executive? The answer is No. A spokesperson in a political setting should always be mindful of his utterances and should be able to set a limit on what he says on such sensitive political matters which concern his zone and his people.
I do not know how Hon Karonwi can defend his assertion that Yoruba or any other person from the South is not qualified to be president of Nigeria .
To me , these
are the most misguided and atrocious utterances I have ever heard in view of the position Hon Karonwi is occupying in the party at the South West zonal level.
Rt Hon Oladapo Karonwi has therefore offended the sensibilities of the entire Yoruba race by selling out the tribe so cheaply to Hausa/Fulani and planning to deprive the entire South of their rightful position under a party built by the sweat of all, both North and South.
The South West zonal Executive of APC should therefore act fast by interrogating Hon Karonwi for this act of sabotage and sellout and if found guilty, he should not only be asked to withdraw this insulting and denigrating statement against Yoruba and other tribes in Southern Nigeria, he should as a matter of urgency be made to resign his position as the PRO of the party in the South West geopolitical zone. This is the least expected of him as an Honourable man he is supposed to be…….
Signed
Hon. DR. IFEOLUWA AROWOSOGE
