Nigeria: Stakeholders urge Ayu, others to wade into Oyo PDP crisis

Critical stakeholders in the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, appealed to the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; the Deputy National Chairman, South-West, Alhaji Taofik Arapaja and other leaders to wade into the lingering crisis between Governor Seyi Makinde and the aggrieved factions before the 2023 governorship election.

In separate chats with The Guardian, the factional chairman, Okunlade Michael, who spoke for the aggrieved tendency, urged the national chairman and other leaders of the party not to be deceived by the false confidence being displayed by Makinde and his loyalists that all is well with the party to retain the state in next election.

Okunlade said up till yesterday, all efforts to make Makinde realise that politics is a collective game and not a one-man show have come to not.

“There is no way PDP can win the 2023 governorship election as long as the house remains divided. Nobody is asking the governor to do ‘Father Christmas’ with the state’s resources as Makinde is erroneously painting the scenario in public but the onus is on the governor to appreciate and compensate the efforts of those who brought him to power.

“He also needs to understand that some people were persuaded to shelve their governorship ambition in 2019 because of Makinde,” said Okunlade.

He added that Arapaja had tried his best to resolve the crisis just as former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, waded in “but the governor remained adamant. Nobody can turn himself into a god. My appeal to the leaders of PDP is to wade into the matter before it is too late.”
MEANWHILE, the state’s Publicity Secretary of the faction loyal to the governor, Hakeem Olatunji, has dismissed the saying that PDP cannot retain Oyo in 2023.

He said the governor and the Chairman, Bayo Ogungbenro, were doing everything possible to bring everybody on board, including those that have defected to major opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to him, “Oyo PDP, under the leadership of Makinde, remains one of the most crisis-free chapters and it is healthy enough to win the election. My appeal is that the aggrieved tendencies should join the winning team.”

Another aggrieved stakeholder, Alhaji Hazeez Gbolarunmi, who expressed displeasure over the way Makinde is running the party, told The Guardian that the governor’s attitude was a betrayal of loyalty to those that helped him to power.

source: theGuardian