"The party has absolute control over how it will prepare for the elections," the APC chair said.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has placed an embargo on sectional and unauthorised meetings within the party by aspirants or their allies ahead of the 16 November local government elections in Ogun.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Tuesday by the APC Party Chairman, Yemi Sanusi.

"The party has absolute control over how it will prepare for the elections."

According to him, unless and until the party announces or calls for meetings, any person organising or attending meetings concerning the forthcoming elections does so at his own peril.

"The party will exercise the full wrath of its disciplinary powers to punish any parallel or unauthorised meetings that undermine our strategy for the elections.

"The party is also aware of its power to screen out any aspirant who does not conform to the party and its ideals," he said.

Mr Sanusi said: "the state Executive Committee observed that certain persons have been calling for meetings of potential aspirants ahead of the Local Government Elections in Ogun.

"Elections are an organised and regulated civic activity, with political parties as frontline regulators of the process.

"The Nigerian electoral law does not permit independent candidates, so in the coming local government elections, APC will be the contestant, not any individual candidate regardless of that candidate's perceived political status.

"The party has absolute control over how it will prepare for the elections.

"While we respect the right of party members to meet freely, the overall interest of the party outranks any individual interest.

"As such, all preparation for the forthcoming local government elections must be uniform and organised, under the direction of the party's formal leadership in the state and in line with the party constitution, only the party chairman or a person designated by him, can call such meetings, not aspirants or their allies."

(NAN)