A group within the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that if the chairman of Oluyole local government, Akeem Olatunji is not warned, the crises in the party may soon be in the open.
Reacting to Olatunji’s statement warning members of the party in the council area and others to desist from supporting any aspirant but a yet-to-be choice of Governor Seyi Makinde.
PDP Rebirth, a group made of aggrieved members of the party, said Olatunji should know better that the silence within the rank of the PDP will soon be heard within and outside the state.
A statement by its protem secretary, Jelili Adio, explained that “Hon. Akeem Olatunji was a party Excos for many years, a large part in Accord and later ADC before he joined PDP. By virtue of that, we believe he should know how things work. In fact, if such undemocratic statement should come from anywhere, he shouldn’t be from him. We don’t even want to believe that he has become intoxicated by power because he was considered among the handpicked council chairmen.
”Why we have no issue with Hon. Olatunji, we again say that the statement credited to him was too slavish. We had waited till now to see if he would deny, retract or apologize but none has come from his side.
”If he doesn’t know, though we believe he knows, the crises in the Oyo State chapter of the PDP will soon be blown, out of proportion. Many of the party leaders are just waiting, calculating the damages before they decide to take their party from Gov Makinde. Except he retraces his steps, he will reap what he has sown.
”In any democracy, everyone is free to aspire. Whether through primaries or a selective process agreed upon by majority of the party stakeholders, candidates will emerge. But for a person of Hon. Olatunjis caliber to have come out to say that people shouldn’t group until Gov Makinde decides for them is not only undemocratic but idiotic. Hon. Olatunji should recall that his immediate predecessor hadn’t completed his tenure or said he wasn’t running again before he started campaigning, disturbing the young man from focusing on governance.
“If that is what Gov. Makinde had told Hon. Olatunji through his ally, who the council chairman praises shamelessly at any given opportunity, they should rest assured that the idea is dead on arrival. People will start showing intention and grouping across all local government and nothing will happen. There is no worst thing that can happen again than the way the Governor has treated those who assisted him in to become the chief executive. We are prepared.
“Did Hon. Olatunji not see how our party performed woefully during the local government election our party organized? The same PDP that was loved by majority of the citizens. If any major election takes place, we doubt if we can win. So instead of encouraging peace, Hon. Olatunji decided to fan the ember of discord. Let’s see where that takes everyone too.
”How men like Hon. Olatunji forget event baffles us. Our party is embroiled in crises at the centre and our governor is involved. Because of selfish reason, he supported the APC candidate against PDP’s Alhaji Abubakar. Today, Nigerians are gnashing their teeth due to the action of Gov. Makinde and others. The governor doesn’t like competition— he made sure all our senatorial candidate lost their election. We cannot say if we had not lost our senatorial candidates to the APC as at today. They were not well-managed. We sympathized with people like Hon. Shina Peller who joined our party. When last did the governor pick his call? Today, he would ask someone to join the party so as to get the ticket, tomorrow he would ask another person. What sort of confusion?
“Even within the cabinet, everyone is waiting for explosion. Remember the governor’s recent trip to Finland under the guise of looking for foreign investment, how many of the key aides followed him? The SSG, finance commissioner and others weren’t there. His cabinet is divided into two— one loyal to someone who lives in the governor’s private residence and another peopled by the likes of the SSG, CoS, PA- Akeem Azeez, Lolade Ajibola, Tara Adefope and others. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
”We won’t advise Hon. Olatunji and his ills to retrace their steps, they will all fall into the pit they are digging by threatening party men who toil day and night to install this administration,” the statement added.
