The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, said there is no rift between him and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
He added that the decision to disband the factions was to promote discipline, harmony and cohesion and engender party supremacy.
According to the statement, “The former governor of Osun State has been unswervingly and wholly committed to the progressive ideology of the Tinubu political family.
“There is no war, cold or hot, between them. There has never been and there will never be. Asiwaju believes in him and he believes in the APC leader.”
The Lagos State Chapter of the APC has dissolved all sub-groups within the party.
the two regarded powerful sub-groups in the party, Mandate Group and Justice Forum, were outlawed by the APC.
According to TheCable, the decision came two weeks after the Minister of Interior and former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, reorganized the Mandate Group without the endorsement of the National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu.
There has been rumor that the relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola is getting frosty and this might have contributed to the dissolution of the sub-groups within the Lagos APC.
In a communique on Monday signed by 27 chieftains of the APC, who are members of the Governor’s Advisory Council. They said any member who continued to associate with any sub-group would be expelled. The communique is titled, “Engendering Party Discipline and Cohesion”.
The communique reads in part, “Party members should no longer make use of these factions or their names with regard to future party business and activities. To continue to hold meetings in the name of these groups or to continue to promote such associations will amount to a violation of this resolution.
“The only permitted use of the names will be limited to historic references. Any violation of this decision is subject to party discipline, including suspension and expulsion. This prohibition extends solely to official party business. We are in no way trying to abridge anyone’s constitutional rights to free speech or assembly. The party chairman is hereby tasked with promulgating more detailed regulations with regard to prohibited and permissible activities for sub-party groupings.
“The party remains supreme. It has developed structures from the ward level to local government and state levels. These are recognized by the party’s constitution. They are adequate platforms for members to congregate and to present their views.
“The APC in Lagos is one party and one family. We must always act in this spirit if we are to attain the dream of democratic prosperity that we set out to achieve.”
The party therefore urged its members to comply with the new directives in order to honor June 12 and those who gave their lives to make democracy a reality.
Among signatory to the communique were Tinubu; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat; and former governor and Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola.
