COMMUNIQUE OF MEETING OF ATUNSE EKITI MOVEMENT HELD ON SUNDAY 2nd SEPTEMBER, 2018 AT THE SEGUN ONI SITUATION OFFICE OPOPOGBORO, ADO EKITI

The Atunse Ekiti Movement met on Sunday, 2nd September, 2018 at the  Segun Oni Situation office, Opopogboro,  Ado Ekiti.  The meeting was well attended  by leaders from all the 16 Local Government Areas of the state. The two topics tabled for deliberation  are:

1) The APC Congresses in Ekiti State 

2) The pressure from Ekiti Elders Forum to withdraw from court the matter filed by the Segun Oni group against JKF 

On the planned Congresses, the meeting viewed with total disappointment the plan of a clique to secretly invite the INEC on Saturday, 1st September 2018 to stamp already collated list of purported Ward Executives which they intended to present to the world as the outcome of Ward Congress in Ekiti State.  The secret was let open and some patriotic Ekitis were able to prevent the fraud.

 Members were therefore advised to go home and work with other leaders in their various wards to come out with unity or consensus list where possible and where consensus is not workable, interested aspirants should obtain nomination forms from  State Secretariat of the party to contest for any positions of their choice. 

The meeting also viewed the rumors making the round that only two nomination forms are available for each of the positions as a dangerous trend if the rumour is  correct. Not making nomination forms available to all aspirants is seen  as  a way  to rig the election and as such, the State Executive Committee under chairman  Jide Awe should please ensure that nomination forms are made available to all aspirants... nobody should be deprived of his or her right to contest for any of the positions stipulated by the party's constitution 

The meeting adopted the Direct  Primary option for all elective offices in Ekiti State as approved by the National Executive Committee which was contained in the signed release of the Ag National  publicity Secretary ,Mr Yekini Namena . Members were urged to resist any attempt at imposing Indirect Primary as is being rumoured  because it is subject to manipulation and corruption 

As for the  matter in court,  the Atunse  Ekiti Movement humbly and with utmost respect appreciate the efforts of our elders in trying to ensure that peace  reins in our party, APC. The meeting reminded itself of the effort of the committee of the Elders Forum requesting to meet with  our leader, Chief Segun Oni (CSO) shorty before the general election of 14 July which he,CSO, promptly granted and the  committee had very useful discussion with him. Members recalled that in the said  Elders  meeting, CSO promised full cooperation with  the party and that all hands should  be on deck to  ensure that APC won the gubernatorial election against the PDP. He kept his promise  to the letter by mobilizing his supporters and assisting them financially to work for the  party. Thank God we won the election which makes our party to have now crossed the danger line 

The meeting also recalled that CSO suggested that the elders should endeavor to reach out to other leaders of the Atunse Ekiti Movement which the elders did through invitation of some members of  Atunse Ekiti leadership to the Igbara-Odo meeting of Tuesday, 31st July 2018 which afforded the elders to listen and understand the complaints of the  Segun Oni group,  leading to the matter in court.

 the Elders were told  that representatives of Atunse Ekiti Movement had earlier met with  the Deputy National Chairman, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and other Southwest members of the National Working Committee on the same issue and that Otunba promised to facilitate a meeting between Atunse Ekiti and JKF. The question begging for answer now is why has the meeting promised by Otunba not taken place up till today  after over two months of that promise? The elders who also promised to meet with JKF and reach back to Atunse Ekiti Movement has not done that either.

 We however, have it on good authority that the elders did write a letter to JKF,  but nothing has come out of such a move since nobody has contacted Atunse Ekiti for anything . The meeting was  surprise that despite the intervention of  Otunba Niyi Adebayo 

and that of the elders to ensure amicable settlement, JkF has hitherto maintains complete silence on the matter. What then does anybody expect us to do? Is it CSO who has always made himself available and ready to cooperate that should be begged or JKF?   

Who doesn't know that Justice and Peace go hand in hand and side by side ?

DANGEROUS TREND

The meeting is worried  and seriously disturbed that we lost one of our resourceful men, Comrade Bunmi Ojo to the wicked attack of gunmen. His assassination is still shrouded in misery. Not soon after  burying  Comrade Bunmi Ojo who happened to be the personal Assistant to CSO when he was Governor and  a very close family friend of CSO and as we were still mourning the dead in the very week we buried him,  that one  Femi Olanrewaju (aka Ijakoko) an aide of JKF went to the palace of Olufaki and to the houses of some Ifaki chiefs issuing death threat to CSO if he refused to withdraw the. case from the court. The town invited Ijakoko to a meeting at the palace twice but twice he refused to honour the meeting. 

It is worrisome and disgusting that somebody can be backing  an inconsequential vagabond in the person of Ijakoko to be threatening a God-fearing omoluabi Segun Oni, a former Governor, former Deputy National Chairman of our great party and a Baba Egbe Ijo of Methodist Church, Ifaki with death!!! The meeting realized that the representatives of our elders in IdoOsi Local Government are aware of this ugly development. We urge the elders not to keep quite.

The meeting equally believes that effective Communication is key to  humans development and can be used to achieve unprecedented success in any endeavor. However, where communication  is lacking and when one party in an enterprise believes in communication but the other party does not, who then do we  blame for lapses? Is it the person that communicates or the one who refuses to communicate? 

Once the door of communication is closed and impunity   continues to be the order of the day unchecked ,  then democracy is in jeopardy. 

The meeting also realized that since we are practicing democracy which is the government of the people, by the  people and for the people, the APC government and party in Ekiti State  should embrace an all inclusive style in all  important decisions which would affect the life of all members of APC. This is why our party's  constitution recognizes State Caucus. A situation

 where one  person dictates all what happens and would happen in APC is not very healthy for the party . 

The meeting warns that if it is true that  the would-be party state chairman has been allocated to a person in Gbonyin, the Secretary to another person in Oye Local Government, and that the list of the 26 members of the State House of Assembly has already been compiled  even before the primary election is conducted and also the would- be Speaker of the House has been allocated to a person in Ikere and all of this are happening without the knowledge of major stakeholders in the party, then the elders should know that democratic institution is fast being destroyed in our dear State. The meeting is cognizant of the fact that APC is not yet a very strong party in Ekiti State to accept dictatorship without serious consequences  during subsequent general elections 

Finally, the meeting promised full cooperation with all stakeholders whose aim is to strengthen democracy and rule of Law in our party and it believes the present leadership of the party under His Excellency, Adams Oshiomole,  the National Chairman is capable of midwifing this party to victory without any manipulation,  arm twisting or corruption in any form 

With this resolution we are of the opinion that our most respected elders would strive to uphold justice and fairness  in line with the constitution and guidelines of our party. They could not afford to  be seen as being one-sided in a matter that involves two important men of repute who are both leading figures in the political firmament of  Ekiti State and Nigeria. 

Signed 

Hon Dr Ife Arowosoge (DG)

For and on behalf of Atunse Ekiti Movement