The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday visited a former governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, in a bid to stop him from leaving the party he recently rejoined after dumping the Accord Party.
Members of the PDP NWC that visited Ladoja were the Deputy National Chairman (South), Elder Yemi Akinwonmi; National Secretary of the party, Senator Tsauri Umaru; and the National Financial Secretary, Abdullahi WaiBasiru.
Also at the meeting was a former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide.
Ladoja had recently issued a seven-day ultimatum to the PDP NWC because of his grouse with the harmonisation of the executive members of the state chapter of the party. Ladoja’s complaint was that some of his loyalists were removed from the list.
He also threatened to dump the party if the NWC refused to take action over the issue within seven days.
Last week, a former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, visited Ladoja at his Ibadan home with a view to persuading him to join the African Democratic Congress. The same day, a former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, also visited Ladoja. It was understood that Mimiko made effort to bring Ladoja to the Labour Party. A source told our correspondent that Ladoja could review his threat after Wednesday’s meeting.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, a member of the NWC, Umaru, said there was no doubt that Ladoja was the leader of the party in the state.
“We are here to appreciate his support to the PDP. He has done it before and he will do it again. He is a young-old man who can deliver. Ladoja is PDP, PDP is Ladoja. Ladies and gentlemen, let us support him so that we can kick the APC out in 2019. He is the only leader in Oyo State,” he said.
Akinwonmi corroborated Umaru’s statement, adding however that Ladoja’s request would be looked into.
He said, “We are here to meet our leader, Ladoja and to bring peace into our party in Oyo State. We have listened to him and we are going back to the Wadata Plaza to brief other members of the NWC. By the grace of God, we have seen areas where we need to intervene. We believe that by the grace of God, peace will reign in Oyo State chapter of our party.”
