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Members of the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 33 local government areas of
Oyo State have petitioned the national chairman of the party, Bisi
Akande over the manner the party is run in the state.

The petitioners,
numbering 165, warned that unless the national leadership wades in to
arrest the crisis, the party may not make any impact in the forthcoming
general elections.

They said the
leadership style of certain members of the party does not encourage
popular participation and equal opportunity is not given to those
aspiring to various elective offices.

They complained of
deliberate exclusion of members from the executive councils of the
party from wards to the state level, while some others are denied
membership cards of the party.

The petitioners
specifically accused a former governor of the state, Lam Adesina of
appointing his stooges into the councils, thereby depriving others from
participating in the running of the party.

“We have watched
with keen interest and admiration the quality of leadership being
provided at the National level by your good self and Ahmed Bola Tinubu
to integrate new and old members in order to move party forward, but in
Oyo State reverse is the case because the leadership here is about how
to exploit members through self interest,” the petitioners said.

“Pursuant to the
above, Lam Adesina has excluded new members from ANPP and other parties
whose involvement would have been as an asset to the party as a whole.
It is on record that the EXCO of Oyo State was handpicked by him alone
which is contrary to the constitution of the party ACN and the
Electoral Act.”

Attempts to speak with Mr Adesina was not successful. But the state
spokesperson for the party, Wasiu Olatubosun, said the petition amounts
to “crying wolf where there was none.”