…stakeholders call for dissolution of party exco
SOJI AJIBOLA, Ibadan
The second term bid of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is being threatened as the Peoples Democratic Party stakeholders in the state on Thursday announced that the party had been factionalised into two.
The stakeholders, who noted that a faction of the party is led by Makinde and the other faction by themselves, called for dissolution of the state Executive Council of the party.
The stakeholders, in a communique signed by Mogaji Nureni and former governor Hazeem Gbolarumi at the end of their meeting at Jogor Event centre, Ibadan said the call became imperative in order to save the party from imminent collapse.
The meeting, which had in attendance, Engineer Femi Babalola, Alhaji Bisi Olopoeniyan, Alhaji Ismail Aborode (Ex-Commissioner for Environment), Hon Matthew Abioye (former state lawmaker), Alhaji Bola Akinyemi, Princess Aderonke Adedoja and many others, commiserated with the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in Ogbomosho, Ibarapa and other parts of the state. The body prays that God should comfort their families.
The communique reads in full: “The stakeholders condemn in the strongest terms the spate of insecurity in the state and call on the state governor to wake up to his primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of the citizenry.
The PDP stakeholders commiserate with the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in Ogbomosho, Ibarapa and other parts of the state. The body prays that God should comfort their families.
The stakeholders have resolved to save the PDP from mismanagement and egoistic tendencies of the state Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
“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 as demonstrated during the last local government election where the governor ‘ donated’ 4 chairmen and vice and 48 councillorship seats to his friends in ADC.
“Today is to alert the leadership of PDP and members of PDP across Nigeria and the general public that Oyo State PDP has been factionalized into two – one is headed by the governor and the other by the leaders and stakeholders across the 33 local governments as evidenced at this meeting.
This is due to the governor’s high-handedness, recalcitrant attitude and lack of leadership within the party as expected of a governor.
“We are calling on the national leadership to dissolve the Oyo State PDP Executive who are stooges of the governor and have no interest of the party at heart 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 reorganize the party ahead of the congresses to allow for free and fair congresses.
“The stakeholders call on the national leadership of 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.”