Aiyedatiwa’s aide emerges as Ondo APC chairman

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a state congress held in Akure, the state capital.

Babatunde, alongside 35 other members of the State Working Committee, was elected by consensus and affirmation at the congress held at the International Centre for Culture and Events (The Dome).

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who addressed party members at the venue, urged them to uphold unity, discipline, and internal democracy. He described the exercise as more than a routine political event, stressing its importance in consolidating the party’s structure.

“The APC remains a party built on structure, order and collective responsibility, which aligns with the first point of our seven-point agenda on order, security and the rule of law.

“All of you are my friends. All of you are my subjects. We belong to the same party. I have no preference for one person over another, but one person must emerge. I thank everyone who has made sacrifices to enable harmony and consensus. This is the Ondo State APC spirit. We in Ondo State remain fully aligned with the Renewed Hope agenda,” he said.

However, the exercise was held under the shadow of a legal battle. On Monday, a Federal High Court sitting in Akure, presided over by Justice Toyin Adegoke, issued an ex parte order restraining INEC and the APC from proceeding with the congress, following an application by aggrieved members of the party.

The court’s order arose from an ex parte motion by Adedayo Adedeji, SAN, on behalf of a group of aggrieved party members led by Lawrence Adebayo and 7,427 others, who claimed they were excluded from the party’s ward and local government congresses earlier in February.

The court’s interim injunction barred INEC from “acknowledging, accepting, recognising or validating” both the previous ward congresses and the state congress, and also restrained the APC from conducting the exercise pending the determination of a motion on notice.

Justice Adegoke further ordered all parties to maintain the “status quo ante bellum”, the state of affairs before the disputed ward congresses were held, and adjourned the matter to March 26 for a hearing.

In compliance with the judicial directive, INEC officials were conspicuously absent from the venue of the congress.

A senior source within the commission, who requested anonymity, confirmed that INEC had been served with the court order and subsequently withdrew from observing the exercise, stressing that “there is no way the commission can disobey a court injunction.”

Despite the legal restraint, the national committee sent to conduct the congress proceeded, opting for a consensus model in which all 36 members of the State Working Committee were affirmed by delegates.

The newly elected chairman, Babatunde, represented the Akoko Southwest/Southeast Federal Constituency in the 8th National Assembly. Until his emergence as chairman, he served as Special Adviser to Aiyedatiwa on party affairs and legislative matters.

In his acceptance speech, titled “A New Dawn of Unity and Progress”, Babatunde pledged transparent, disciplined and inclusive leadership, declaring that the era of internal division in the party must end.

He commended Aiyedatiwa for providing a level playing field for all contestants, citing John Locke to stress that “the end of law is to preserve and enlarge freedom”. He added, “There is no winner or loser in this exercise. I am for all and against none”, emphasising that unity remains the party’s greatest strength.