Crisis is brewing in several local government chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following disputes over the results of its recently conducted Ward and local government congresses.
Reports have it that no fewer than 11 local chapters are boiling currently, following allegation of widespread falsification of congress results.
The local governments affected include Agege, Apapa, Ifako-Ijaiye, Mushin and Oshodi-Isolo
Others are Ikorodu, Somolu, Kosofe, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Alimosho.
The aggrieved members have accused Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, of being behind the crisis.
Gov. Makinde, working in collaboration with the office of the National Organising Secretary in Wadata Plaza, is accused of changing the lists of members who had emerged successful from the party’s congresses to reflect the choices of his cronies.
Gov. Makinde, by being the only PDP governor in the South West, is by convention the political leader of the party in the zone.
Inside sources revealed that the original results of the congresses were tampered with to foist on the party favoured members of the executive committees at both the Ward and LG levels from the camp believed to be cronies of a leader of the party, Chief Bode George and Gov. Makinde’s allies in the Lagos PDP, spearheaded by the trio of Lagos State of one Hon. Rahman Owokoniran, the SW Secretary, Mr. Segun Adewale, an Ex-officio and Hon. Rita Orji who is a former member of the House of Representatives.
There had been talks within the party before the congresses which started at the Ward level on September 25 that a group being promoted by Gov. Makinde within the Lagos PDP had got his assurances that they would be helped to seize the party’s leadership against any popular choices from other contending forces in the party.
The governor was said to have told some leaders in the state that he would never allow anyone, especially incumbent LGA Chairmen associated with the State Chairman, Chief Deji Doherty, to emerge again as a member of the party’s Exco in the state.
There have no love lost between Gov. Makinde and Doherty since the run-up to the South West congress where they supported different candidates.
Gov. Makinde’s candidate, Alhaji Arapaja eventually had a slim win to emerge as SW Chairman, defeating Dr. Eddy Olafeso who was backed by Doherty and three other state chairmen, with former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, as the chief promoter.
Our correspondents who spoke with some of the aggrieved members hinted that leaders from the affected local governments had rallied together and resolved to resist the disputed executives being foisted on the party from performing unless their grievances were resolved..
It is gathered that the affected members have petitioned the National Executive Committee of the party to address their various concerns and restore the original names removed by Gov. Makinde to impose his anointed candidates on the party.
While awaiting the response to their petitions from Wadata, it is also gathered that the affected leaders have assembled a team of lawyers to press their cases in court in case the party refused to resolve the matters.
