Ondo APC faces backlash over defiant congress held despite court order, as youth group urges national leadership to intervene

The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State on Wednesday faced mounting criticism after proceeding with its state congress despite a restraining order issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Akure.

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The backlash followed an ex parte order by Justice Toyin Adegoke barring the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission from conducting the exercise pending the determination of a substantive suit.

Despite the order, the Ondo chapter of the All Progressives Congress went ahead with the congress, producing a new set of state executive members in a move some observers have described as contemptuous.

The criticism came from the Oodua Progressive Youth League, which urged the party’s national leadership to urgently intervene in what it described as a deepening crisis within the state chapter.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, General Secretary of the group, Wale Abdulwaheed, expressed displeasure over what he termed disobedience of a valid court order.

Wale Abdulwaheed said the All Progressives Congress had consistently projected itself as a law-abiding party built on democratic principles and warned that such a reputation must not be compromised.

Wale Abdulwaheed stressed that respect for judicial pronouncements was not negotiable and that, as the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress must lead by example in upholding the rule of law.

The group cautioned that failure to address the controversy surrounding the congress could trigger prolonged litigation, deepen factional divisions and fuel political instability within the Ondo chapter.

It therefore called on the party’s National Working Committee to engage stakeholders swiftly and restore unity and discipline.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that violence marred an earlier ward congress in parts of the state.

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In Idanre Local Government Area, two persons were reportedly killed and several others injured when suspected political thugs disrupted the exercise, underscoring the volatile atmosphere surrounding the party’s internal process.