A former Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Victor Olabimtan, has appealed to all members of the party to be calm and continue to maintain party cohesion.
Speaking against the backdrop of the crisis and controversy trailing the last governorship of the party, Olabimtan said the unity of the party is the most essential, urging them to give peace a chance and avoid politics of bitterness.
According to the former Speaker, if the crisis within the party continues, it could rob APC of the desired overwhelming victory in the upcoming election.
Olabimtan in statement personally signed by him, acknowledged one of the governorship aspirants in the just concluded primary as a strong member of the party and should be respected.
The two-term Director General of Akeredolu Campaign Organization described Ibrahim as his brother and fellow party stalwart and expressed optimism that the current discord within the party will be resolved soon in the best interest of APC.
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The statement read in parts. “My attention has been drawn to the campaign of calumny and attack on my person which has degenerated into exchange of tantrums among party faithful.
“I am using this medium to caution and appeal to my supporters and all APC members to desist from any action that’s inimical to the peace and unity of our dear party.
“We agree and sometimes disagree in politics but we shouldn’t allow our disagreement to derail our collective growth as a party.
“All our discussions and debates should be issue-based. Personal attack is alien to my style of politics and I won’t encourage anyone to engage in it on my behalf. We should avoid throwing unnecessary tantrums that can polarise the party”
“The ongoing engagement is part of politics. However, we should be careful of our utterances, even in the face of provocation.
“There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics but permanent interest. Our interests shouldn’t erode our values and push us to trade issue-based discourse for personal attacks. As a party or individual, we should rise above such pettiness.”
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