The PBAT Mandate Elders’ Forum in Ondo State has formally petitioned the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), calling for urgent intervention over the lingering crisis within the party in the state.
The group disclosed that it has submitted a memorandum to President Bola Tinubu, urging decisive action to address the situation.
According to the Forum, it has received assurances that the President will take necessary steps to resolve the matter.
Speaking at the Forum’s monthly meeting and healthcare outreach for the elderly in Akure, the State Facilitator, Chief Demola Ijabiyi, expressed concern over the recent violence at the APC State Secretariat in Ondo, where the State Chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, and other stakeholders were reportedly assaulted.
Chief Ijabiyi described the incident as disturbing and called on the party’s national leadership to conduct an urgent investigation.
He noted that the controversy surrounding the ward congresses had exposed underlying divisions within the party in the state.
He recalled that the directive from the APC national secretariat was for the return of existing executive members through a consensus arrangement.
However, he lamented that parallel congresses were held in several wards.
“We are here to advance the cause of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. Anything that could affect that mandate must be addressed,” Ijabiyi said.
“We cannot ignore what happened during the ward congresses, where parallel exercises were conducted in most wards.”
Ijabiyi further stated that prior to the congresses, there had been no visible division within the party, aside from speculations of a rift between the Ondo State Governor and the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
He added that party elders were not aware of any open conflict between the two leaders, as both had publicly denied any disagreement.
In his remarks, the Vice Chairman of the Forum, Elder Olorunnimbe Tawose, said the monthly meeting also featured a healthcare programme for elderly members, sponsored by the Minister of Interior.
Tawose disclosed that medical services provided during the outreach included blood sugar tests, cholesterol checks, blood pressure screening and prostate examinations.
He added that medications were distributed to beneficiaries, while those with borderline results would receive follow-up care.
Also speaking, the Assistant Secretary of the Forum, Princess Bukky Abike-Oluderu, said the initiative had positively impacted the lives of elderly residents across the state over the past year.
The development underscores growing concerns over internal cohesion within the Ondo APC as stakeholders await possible intervention from the party’s national leadership.
