Stakeholders Call For Dissolution Of Oyo PDP Exco
The internal crisis rocking the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached crescendo, on Thursday, with some of its stakeholders calling for the dissolution of the state executive of the party.
The stakeholders, at the end of a meeting held at the Jogor Event Centre, Ibadan, accused the state governor of high-handedness and failure to give patronages to members of the party in the state.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, they claimed that the governor has abandoned the PDP members by allegedly giving patronages to non-party members.
The communique, signed by Mogaji Nureni Akanbi and a former deputy governor in the state, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi, further alleged that Governor Makinde was frustrating efforts at bringing about genuine reconciliation in the party.
They alleged that the governor, in demonstration of his alleged disdain for the PDP members in the state, ‘donated’ four chairman and 48 councillorship posts to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“The stakeholders frowns at the governor’s attitude of giving party patronage to non-party members as against genuine party members who laboured to bring the PDP back to power in Oyo State.
“This was demonstrated during the last local government election where the governor ‘donated’ four chairmen and vice and 48 councillorship seats to his friends in the ADC.
“Today is to alert the leadership of the PDP and members of the PDP across Nigeria and general public that Oyo State PDP has been factionalised into two; one is headed by the governor and the other by the leaders and stakeholders across the 33 local government areas, as evidence at this meeting.
“This is due to the governor’s highhandedness, recalcitrant attitude and lack of leadership within the party as expected of a governor.
“We are calling on the national leadership to dissolve Oyo State PDP Executive who are stooges of the governor and have no interest of the party at heart.
“[The dissolution must be] ahead of congresses coming up later in the year so as to give a sense of belonging to our teeming members and supporters in Oyo State.
“The caretaker committee should be put in place to reorganise the party ahead of the congresses to allow for free and fair congresses.
“The stakeholders call on the national leadership of the PDP to urgently step in to rescue the party in Oyo State from the grip of the governor who is running the party like his personal estate. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
“The stakeholders have resolved to save the PDP from mismanagement and egoistic tendencies of the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde,” the communique stayed.
Speaking, Mogaji Nureni said the essence of the meeting was to make it known to the public of the internal wrangling within the Oyo PDP.
He said the party has been fractionalised since its ascendancy to power in 2019, declaring; “We are dead on arrival”, alleging that several Reconciliation meetings held to forge unity were frustrated by the governor.
Noting that nothing was forthcoming from the reconciliation meetings, Nureni declared: “There is no PDP Exco in Oyo State. We want the present one dissolved.
“The PDP is 85 per cent dead in Oyo. We produced the government in power but where is the PDP in Oyo. We are not expecting any position from the government. We are not seeking for councillorship or chairmanship position.”
Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi said the PDP structure has been hijacked from its original members and handed over to some individuals from other political parties that formed the coalition that brought the present administration to power in 2019.
Urging party members to start strategising from the ward level, he said: “The only enemy of the party is the GSM faction which is at loggerhead with the original PDP members.
“Politicking has commenced in earnest. These people will, once again, come to you to canvass for votes. But you, the sidelined original PDP should vote wisely for the original PDP candidates that we will be presenting for the elections. We would know who is really in control of the party.”
Another PDP leader in state, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeniyan, also said the party had been divided but admonished members to work hard to ensure its unity.
He urged party members to work to ensure that another candidate was produced for the 2019 election, adding: “I worked assiduously for the party, so I will not destroy the government, but I will leave them to God. Oyo PDP has been divided, but we should ensure its unity.”
Princess Aderonke Adedoja, a former aspirant for the House of Representatives, supported the call on the party members to go back to the grassroots and work and declared: “For the past two years, we have not been happy as there is no one to relate with.”
Speaking at the meeting, Engineer Femi Babalola said the Oyo PDP is not beyond redemption, assuring that the struggle, pain and patience of loyal members will not be in vain.
“It is painful not reap from one’s labour but every one of us will laugh last”, he said and assured that the PDP would retain power in Oyo State in 2023 but under another person as the governor.
“The PDP belongs to us. They will leave the party for us. It is like a vehicle, we must take it back and repair it. It is a familiar path that we have taken before. It is not new, but everybody reap henceforth
“Lessons have been learnt. Since we were not hungry in the last two years, we cannot be hungry in the next one year or thereabout. We should on to the party and its real leadership, up to the grassroots level,” he said.
Other Oyo PDP leaders present at the stakeholders’ meeting were a former lawmaker in the state, Elder Matthew Abioye; Mallam Yusuf; a former Commissioner for Environment in the state, Alhaji Majekodunmi Aborode; and Alhaji Bola Akinyemi, among others.
