The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State has taken its reconciliation drive to the 18 councils.
It also set up 162-member grassroots committees for the same purpose.
The step is part of the efforts to strengthen unity within the party ahead of the 3027 election, and particularly to ensure block votes for the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
A breakdown of the initiative includes the setting up of a nine-member reconciliation committee in each local government.
The step above was announced during an interactive session between the state APC Reconciliation Committee and prominent party stakeholders, including local government party chairmen, council chairmen and other leaders from across the state.
According to the party’s Reconciliation Committee’s chairman, Prince Biyi Poroye, the initiative would take the reconciliation process directly to the grassroots, resolve lingering grievances and foster greater unity, discipline and inclusiveness within the party.
He stressed that the exercise was not solely about securing electoral victory in 2027, but also about changing attitudes and rebuilding trust among party members.
“For us, reconciliation is about addressing the mindsets of party members so that people can change from their former positions to new positions, bearing in mind that there is nothing to share in losing,” he said.
He explained that the nine-member committees would be constituted in each of the 18 local government areas as part of efforts to ensure that the reconciliation process was accessible to members at the grassroots.
“This is how we will reach the grassroots. That is our mission. Our people must not just read the news; they must hear directly from our leaders,” Poroye said.
According to him, the committee had encountered various grievances among party members, including complaints that the administration had not sufficiently carried party members along, particularly in the area of empowerment.
He, however, said the reconciliation initiative was intended to address such concerns while encouraging members to abandon factional tendencies, personal attacks and divisive positions.
Poroye urged party leaders and political office holders to work collectively and ensure that party members were carried along in their activities.
“We are shortchanging ourselves if we keep fighting one another”, Poroye said, urging politicians to learn how to manage electoral setbacks without allowing them to create lasting divisions within the party.
He added: “If you contest and the party changes your name, it should not be the end of life. We are appealing to our members that reconciliation is possible.”
The Chief of Staff to the Ondo State Governor, Prince Segun Omojuwa, commended the initiative, describing the decision to extend the reconciliation process to the grassroots as a significant step towards strengthening the APC.
Prince Omojuwa also described Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as a champion of peace, saying the governor’s commitment to reconciliation could help move the state forward.
“I want to thank the Governor of Ondo State for believing in peace. This is what can really move our state forward,” Omojuwa said.
He urged party members and leaders to cooperate with the reconciliation committee, noting that replicating the structure across the 18 local governments would provide a broader platform for addressing grievances and strengthening relationships among members.
Chairman of Idanre Local Government, Smart Omotadowa, also endorsed the grassroots approach, saying genuine unity could only be achieved if reconciliation reached party members at the local level.
Omotadowa called on APC members across the 18 local government areas to support the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections and work together towards achieving the party’s goals.
Also speaking, a member of the reconciliation committee, Erelu Mudupola Martins, stressed the need for genuine reconciliation, warning that unresolved internal grievances could undermine the party’s electoral prospects.
“There is no second in any election. We can’t afford to lose any position to the opposition,” she said.
Martins urged members to support the reconciliation initiative and allow the process to reach loyal party members at the grassroots, calling on stakeholders to “come together and close ranks” ahead of the 2027 elections.
She said the party was determined to improve on its performance in the 2023 elections, citing the APC’s presidential vote in the state as a benchmark.
“We gave Tinubu 68 per cent in 2023; we want to do more than that in 2027,” Martins said.
