There is confusion in Oyo State over the rumoured reversal of last week’s decision of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to harmonise its executive members along Rashidi Ladoja/Seyi Makinde factions.
The party had penultimate week announced harmonisation of the party executive positions in the state after months of leadership tussle.
Last November, factions loyal to Ladoja and Makinde had held parallel congresses in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
In a bid to find lasting solutions to the crisis, www.oyoinsight.com recalled, the party set up an appeal committee.
In an advertorial in newspapers, the party, banking on the recommendations of its appeal panel which sat for months, published the names of the new executives.
It was learnt that 6 of the Exco members, which included the secretary of the party who is a loyalist of the former governor, Hon. Wasii Emiola, were replaced with loyalists of Makinde and others.
They were later inaugurated in Abuja last week.
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Jolted by the decision, Ladoja and his supporters later organised a stakeholders’ meeting where they agreed to suspend their ongoing local government tour. They also issued a 7-day ultimatum which ended today.
Only last week, on the same day, former governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Olusegun Mimiko of Osun and Ondo States respectively were at the Ondo Street, Bodija, Ibadan residence of Ladoja to sell the African Democratic Party, ADC and Labour Part, LP, to him.
This is apart from the planned alliance between Ladoja’s supporters and members of the breakaway faction of the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Unity Forum.
It was learnt that the need to reverse the decision was arrived at in a meeting which began late last night and ended in the early hours of today.
The decision came few hours to the expiration of the 7-day deadline given to the national headquarters
Chieftains of the party who did not want names mentioned, however, gave different accounts of the situation.
“I can confirm it that the PDP has reversed the decision. The national executive may pay Oga (Ladoja) a visit next week,” a reliable source told www.oyoinsight.com.
Another one said: “it cannot be true. See, this thing has a procedure. Before the decision to harmonise was taken, the appeal panel presented its recommendation. If you are to do something like this, it must follow a procedure. My brother, it’s nothing but a lie. If there is any of such decision, we’ll be waiting for the report. I doubt it, however.”
Efforts to get the national publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan to react proved abortive as his numbers were not unreachable as at the time of filing this report.
Party chieftains loyal to the two factions in the state also declined comments when asked about the development.
