, known as the Conscious Ondo State Citizens.){kind=link}
A political support group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), known as the Conscious Ondo State Citizens, has opposed a directive allegedly issued by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, asking all pro-Tinubu groups in the state to merge into what he described as the “Central Party Structure.”
The governor, alongside other APC leaders, had on Friday publicly endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term.
During a meeting held at the Government House in Akure, a new group called Ondo State for Tinubu 2027 was launched as a platform for party members to coordinate re-election efforts for the President.
At the gathering, Aiyedatiwa noted the need for unity, urging that all support groups must operate under the state party’s leadership.
“Our strength lies in our unity, and all of us as leaders of the APC in the state must come together to build on the foundation already laid.
“Because we are heading towards general elections, it is expected that various support groups will spring up. However, all groups must be under the leadership of the central party structure, which has the State Working Committee and the State Caucus as core components.”
In a swift response, the Conscious Ondo State Citizens, through a statement signed by its Coordinator, Ilesanmi Adeyeye, described the governor’s position as hypocritical.
The statement read in part, “The Conscious Ondo State Citizens has observed with deep concern the recent directive, whether verbal or implied, suggesting that all support and interest groups within the APC in Ondo State collapse into a single structure. This position, reportedly echoed by Governor Aiyedatiwa during the APC State Caucus meeting, is not only tone-deaf but fundamentally flawed.
“May we remind Mr. Governor that during his own campaign for the governorship, over 50 different groups rallied behind his ambition. These groups operated in tandem with the party, not in opposition to it.
“It is therefore hypocritical, troubling, and unacceptable that the same approach is now being vilified simply because some of these structures have chosen to align with President Bola Tinubu and not with the personal ambitions of a few.”
“What Governor Aiyedatiwa should be doing, if he is truly interested in party unity, is to encourage collaboration, not coerce conformity. His recent posture reeks of fear, not leadership. The very groups he now seeks to stifle are the same ones working hard to promote the policies, ideals, and achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That should not be seen as a threat unless personal ambition is now being placed above party loyalty.”
In defense of the governor, his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said Aiyedatiwa’s comments had been misinterpreted and that no directive was issued to dissolve any support group.
“Nobody asked anybody to collapse any structure. What the governor said is that all groups should work together under the party structure as the umbrella body,” the CPS stated.