The elders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State has dismissed a group of people who described themselves as “elders” of the party during a visit to Governor Abiola Ajimobi as a group of pretenders who are nothing near the elders committee of the party.

In a statement issued in Ibadan by Alhaji Lekan Kassim, a member of the committee of elders of the APC, he said the group that went on the visit to the governor are the elders of the governor’s faction of APC in the state, Senator Ajimobi Campaign Organisation(SENACO), arguing that the group constitutes less than 20 per cent of the membership of the party in the state.

“The elders committee of the APC is not a new creation. It has been in place since the time of our leader, Alhaji Lam Adesina and the members are known to members of the party.

“The group that went to see the governor and placed an advert in the media in support of the governor over the recent ward and local council congresses have only a handful of our members.

Only about five (5) of them are members of the party elders committee whereas the elders committee has about 66 members in all.

More than 80 per cent of the members align with the Unity Forum which is fighting for the enthronement of internal democracy in our party.

“The leaders of the elder committee are Dr Busari Adebisi, Alhaji Abu Gbadamosi, Baba Jolaoso, Chief Bolade Akinyemi, Alhaji Gani Alade, Dr Ahmed Ayinla and Baba Ajibade from Saki.

None of these eminent leaders attended the meeting with the governor. What the governor paraded are members of his SENACO group and are not by any stretch of imagination, elders of our party.

He wondered why the state governor is orchestrating falsehood in the desperate effort to shore up his image, knowing fully well that he has lost the confidence of most members of the party and the public.

Alhaji Kazeem advised members of the public to ignore the antics of the state government arguing, if the governor is in no trouble as he claimed why he is hurriedly meeting media executives to malign members of the Unity Forum and hosting fake party elders and presenting them to the public as elders of the party.

He advised party members to remain steadfast in their struggle for the enthronement of internal democracy, saying the era of impunity is gone for good in the party.