Concerned Edo APC Leaders Petition APC National Leadership Over Growing Crisis Of Imposition, Interference And Marginalization In Edo South

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*Subject: On the Resignation of Hon. Esosa Iyawe and the Growing Crisis of Imposition, Interference, and Marginalisation in Edo APC*  


We, the Concerned Edo South APC Stakeholders, receive with deep concern, profound disappointment, and growing alarm the resignation letter of Hon. Engr. Esosa Iyawe FNSE, Member representing Oredo Federal Constituency, from our great party, the All Progressives Congress.

Hon. Iyawe’s resignation is not an isolated incident. It is not a one-off. It is part of a widening pattern, a recurring pattern, a dangerous pattern of disillusionment, alienation, and frustration among loyal APC members who built this party from the ground up, who sustained this party through years in opposition, and who delivered victory for this party in Edo State in 2024.

Today, those same loyal members feel excluded. They feel sidelined. They feel pushed aside from the decision-making process of the APC in Edo State.

*Our Observations:*

1. *Government Interference in Party Affairs*: Credible reports, consistent reports, and disturbing reports indicate that appointees and stakeholders in Edo South are being directed, instructed, and pressured on who to support ahead of the 2027 primaries. There are threats. There are consequences. There is intimidation for non-compliance. This is not democracy. This is not party building. This is imposition. This contradicts the democratic ideals upon which the APC was founded and directly alienates the very people who worked, sacrificed, and laboured to secure the party’s victory in 2024.

2. *Loss of Party Ownership and Identity*: There is a growing perception, a painful perception, a dangerous perception that the APC structure in Edo State is being reshaped, restructured, and re-engineered to accommodate new political interests at the expense of the original APC members. This erosion of ownership, this displacement of loyalty, this hijack of party structure is breeding deep distrust, suspicion, and disengagement at the grassroots level where elections are actually won.

3. *Threat to APC’s 2027 Electoral Prospects*: Edo South is the electoral powerhouse of Edo State. Edo South is the political heartbeat of the state. If the party continues on this path of imposition, this path of alienation, this path of exclusion, we risk losing Edo South to the opposition NDC or ADC. We risk weakening President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s electoral outlook for Edo State in 2027. We risk handing over what should be an APC stronghold to the opposition.

4. *Public Abuse and Vilification of APC Aspirants*: It is wrong. It is unacceptable. It is counterproductive for government appointees to be encouraged, directed, or allowed to publicly attack, vilify, and demean APC aspirants who are not preferred by the government. This public abuse undermines party cohesion. This public abuse destroys party unity. This public abuse damages the APC’s image, reputation, and credibility before the Edo electorate.

*Our Position:*
We acknowledge and respect Governor Monday Okpebholo’s constitutional role as the leader of the party in Edo State. Leadership is responsibility. Leadership is unity. Leadership is inclusion. Leadership must be exercised in a way that unifies rather than divides, that reconciles rather than alienates, and that rewards loyalty rather than sidelines loyalty.

*The Way Forward - Our Demands:*
1. *Immediate Reconciliation and Dialogue*: The APC State Executive must convene an inclusive, transparent, and genuine stakeholders’ meeting in Edo South without delay. We must talk. We must listen. We must address grievances before the primaries, not after the damage is done.

2. *Free, Fair, and Transparent Primaries*: We demand primaries that are free from coercion, free from intimidation, and free from directives from government appointees. Party members must be allowed to choose candidates freely, independently, and without fear. The will of the people must prevail.

3. *Recognition and Protection of Foundational Members*: The APC must recognise, respect, and protect the interests of foundational APC members who kept the party alive when it was not fashionable. Loyalty must be rewarded. Loyalty must be protected. Loyalty must not be sacrificed for political convenience.

4. *Preservation of APC’s Independence and Identity*: Edo APC must remain Edo APC. Edo APC must remain an independent platform guided by its constitution, its rules, and the will of its members. Edo APC must not become a proxy for external political arrangements or external political interests.

*Our Final Call:*
We call on the APC National Secretariat to intervene urgently. We call on the APC National Secretariat to act decisively. We call on the APC National Secretariat to restore confidence, rebuild trust, and prevent the total collapse of the party’s structure in Edo South ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The time to act is now. The time to reconcile is now. The time to save Edo APC is now.

Signed,  
Dr. Peter Edokpolor 
Hon Afred Agbonifo PhD 
For:
*Concerned Edo South APC Stakeholders*  
Defending Party Loyalty. Defending Party Democracy. Defending Edo South.

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