BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, IBADAN
The internal wrangling in the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State reached the peak on Thursday with some stakeholders calling for the dissolution of the state executives of the party.
The stakeholders, at the end of a meeting held at the Jogor Event Centre, Ibadan, accused Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State of being high-handed and failing to consider interests of party members.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting stated that the governor had 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 read that Governor Makinde frustrated the efforts at bringing about genuine reconciliation in the party.
It added that the governor, in demonstration of his disdain for the PDP members in the state, gave four chairmanship and 48 councillorship posts to the African Democratic Congress.
“The stakeholders frown at the governor’s attitude of giving patronage to non-party members 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 evidenced 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 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.”
Nureni, in his speech at the meeting, said the essence was to make known to the public the internal wrangling within the Oyo PDP. The party chief, who alleged that the PDP had been fractionalised since it got to power in 2019, said, “We are dead on arrival.
“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 had 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.
He said, “The only enemy of the party is the GSM faction which is at loggerheads 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, said the party had been divided but admonished members to work hard to ensure its unity.
Princess Aderonke Adedoja, a former aspirant for the House of Representatives, supported the call for party members to go back to the grassroots and work, stating, “For the past two years, we have not been happy as there is no one to relate with.”
Femi Babalola said, “It is painful not to reap from one’s labour but every one of us will laugh last. 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 had taken before. It is not new, but everybody must 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.”
