The Progressives Vanguard, a youth group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has expressed fears that the party risks losing next year’s gubernatorial election if something drastic was not done.

The group’s position, which was contained in a statement signed by the Convener, Jamiu Ganiyu, and made available to DAILY POST, noted that the manner which issues were being handled within the party without due diligence and caution, had put the ruling party in dire strait.

Ganiyu also stated that despite the foregoing, there were no meaningful moves to correct the aberrations, particularly in strategic strongholds of the party in the state.

He explained that, the group had been following many controversies that the ruling party had found itself in recent times with keen interest.

He warned that the party may lose its traditional stronghold in Ife and Modakeke Zones in the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state unless drastic measures were taken to correct the aberrations already perpetrated by party leaders.

According to him, “At present, Modakeke APC is in shambles as a result of high-handedness, overzealousness, and self-serving actors who deliberately created crises where none exist for their self-glorification.

“The party has returned to its yesteryears of sharp divisions, violence, deprivation which has eroded many fruitful efforts that were achieved before the 2014 gubernatorial election which gave the progressives a resounding victory of over 10,000 votes to the ruling party then. The same energy was sustained till the 2018/2019 gubernatorial and national elections respectively despite the dwindling fortunes of our party generally in the State, Modakeke APC continued to achieve victory.”

For more than two years, Ganiyu lamented, “the once United family had crumbled and recent actions by the state actors have polarised the party further while party structures have completely lost touch with reality.”

He complained that the zone was robbed of representation in the composition of the caretaker committee of the party in the State and rejected the idea of forcing a minority on the majority, recycling of unpopular and unqualified candidates.

“There are other Issues that call for deeper reflection and require prompt action to avert the imminent danger ahead. This was reflected in the manner in which the caretaker management was composed where democratically exercise organised by the party was completely jettisoned followed by the recently concluded wards and local government congresses where 30 percent was apportioned to the majority while the minority took 70 percent.

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“The resultant of this grievous act has started playing out with the defection of immediate local excos of the party and other stalwarts to the Peoples Democratic Party while other aggrieved individuals in their large numbers deserted the party structures,” he said.

He alleged that the ill-treatment Senator Iyiola Omisore was meting out to the core progressives in Ifeland was another factor playing out at the moment, where founding members of the party are being treated as second-class citizens.

“With the recent increase of Modakeke polling units from twenty-nine to eighty-seven by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), this would provide convenience and motivate electorates more than ever before in Modakeke and environs.

“The earlier this issue is critically looked into, the better for the progressives”, the statement concluded.