The political cold war within the Oyo State chapter of the People Democratic Party (PDP) has took another turn as some perceived to be aggrieved leaders and members of the party have send a strong-worded letter to the leadership of the party at the national level and other stakeholders concerned in the affairs of the party.
Below is the widely publicize open letter:
PDP Leaders and Stakeholders of Peoples Democratic Party
Oyo State
No 46, Oyebamiji Street, Winners Way, Bashorun Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.
07062590080
21st September, 2021
The Acting Chairman,
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Wadata Plaza,
My Dear Chairman,
A CLARION CALL ON THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE, CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF BOARDS OF TRUSTEES, CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF PDP GOVERNORS’ FORUM, LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERS OF THE PARTY ACROSS THE NATION TO RESCUE PDP IN OYO STATE FROM IMMINENT TOTAL DESTRUCTION BY ENGR. SEYI MAKINDE.
Sir, this group of mainstream PDP Oyo State emerged as a result of the inability of Engr. Seyi Makinde, the Governor of Oyo State, to hold together the various tendencies in the PDP Oyo State as one entity under the PDP umbrella following the party’s success in the 2019 Governorship election.
From that time till now, Engr. Seyi Makinde has persistently denied members of the PDP who toiled day and night to work for this party’s success at the polls of their rights, pauperized them, embarrassed them, diminished them in the true sense of the word, discriminating against them and even harassed them.
This group, consisting of very consistent PDP members who had always remained within the party (PDP) and worked for the success of the party emerged as a product of necessity, not only protect those people from the excesses of the governor but also to prevent situation where the PDP Oyo State may go into oblivion the unlikely event that Engr. Seyi Makinde takes French leave of the party (PDP) as he had done least twice or thrice in the past.
From the time of his inauguration as Governor, he has created a group within the party (PDP) which he christened OMITUNTUN as he has over the last two years promoted this small tiny group to the level that he is now regarded as the leader of the OMITUNTUN PDP Oyo State. Let me point out here that fortunately the constitution of PDP 2017 (as amended) does not make the Governor of a state the leader of the party in the state.
With due respect to our PDP Governors of other states and without sounding derogatory to them, they have earned the leadership of the party (PDP) in their various states as leadership on PDP is earned by the activities of a particular Governor but not constitutionally conferred. Most unfortunately, Engr. Seyi Makinde who got the ticket of PDP on a platter of gold within two months of joining PDP in 2018 failed most woefully to win the confidence of the mainstream PDP members and retain, maintain and keep intact the PDP Oyo State handed over to him as a single entity whose members did not take a dime from him before casting their votes to give him Governorship ticket in 2018 primaries.
The governor sooner than later frittered all the goodwill that God Almighty gave him through the mainstream PDP who yielded the ticket to him with ease. Over the last two years, Engr. Seyi Makinde has earned the appellation of the leader of OMITUNTUN group of PDP but NOT THE leader of mainstream Oyo State PDP. This must be religiously and importantly noted by the leadership of our party so that it will be rightly guided to ensure that the structure of PDP in Oyo State does not perish in his hands and indeed with him.
For the records, the first set of 17 commissioners appointed by Engr. Seyi Makinde (now dissolved) without consultations has only five (5) as real mainstream PDP members. The set of seven new commissioners just appointed has one mainstream PDP member.
All the genuine PDP mainstream members that served in the caretakers committee and wanted to serve as councillors supervisors, Special Assistant, etc were bulldozed via an illegal, unconstitutional and improper primaries (not in line with the then existing party structure that voted for him in his primaries in 2018 and still in the office till now) and were replaced with those who worked against and attacked us during his governorship elections and who contributed nothing to the success of the PDP in the last general election.
In the last three years, Engr. Seyi Makinde ran the state as a business concern with him as the managing director and failed to consult or in any way direct the state chairman to summon statutory meetings like caucus to discuss governmental appointments, problems of governments and issues relating to our party. In a move to that signposts, the heights of political deceit geared towards taking over the structure of PDP in Oyo State in the coming congresses (which is unnecessary as he became Governorship candidate and Governor without any party (PDP) structure in 2019).
He directed the party chairman to summon a meeting of PDP caucus on 5th of September, 2021 and scheduled it for 6th of September, 2021 (without any adequate notice) but to principally cover his failure to unite, discuss and settle with each and every aggrieved party member before the end of August 2021 a enjoined by the Saraki peace and reconciliation committee and contrary to his undertaking to do so when the committee visited Oyo State to meet with him and the aggrieved. Of course, this is futile as he ought to know that many of the aggrieved membres do not belong to the caucus and can therefore not be part of the hurriedly summoned caucus meetings.
It is against the above background that I now say as follows with regards to the communiqué issued at the hurriedly summoned Oyo State PDP caucus meeting held without adequate notice on the 6th September, 2021 and in this respect I take items on the communiqué as follows:
- It is ridiculous that the entire caucus in the meeting purportedly appreciated Engr. Seyi Makinde for purchasing forms for Oyo State 2021 party congresses not only because having been there in office for almost 3 years now with all the perquisites of office there is no big deal in him purchasing the forms. But more importantly, because he purchased the forms for ONLY the members of OMITUNTUN group of the PDP for which he is their leader and not the entire PDP. As a matter of fact, the Governor is aware and all that were present in that meeting and indeed the whole of Oyo State were aware that the leaders of the mainstream PDP Oyo State have bought forms for the 2021 congress for the mainstream PDP Oyo State. What is more? It will be recalled that he did not buy forms for them in 2018 and the mainstream PDP structure voted for him in the primaries.
- It is sheer lip service for a Governor who had admitted failure in several instances on insecurity and who presided over a Local Government election in which several lives were lost due to his deliberate plans to unleash terror on his opponent (recall also the threat and harassment of the people by his thugs at the South-West congress at Osogbo earlier this year), it is not possible for him to now promise a rancor-free, peaceful and united congress where every necessary stakeholder will be carried along, this is a ruse. His followers and supporters have been going around boasting that if the opponent are brave enough they should come out on the day of congress as they shall be dealt with ruthlessly. They have also been boasting that they have written the result of 28 Local Governments as the Governor intends to deal ruthlessly with the situation in two Ibarapa Local Governments, two Okeogun Local Governments, and one Local Government in OYO.
We believe that our leadership at the National should not allow him to turn Oyo State into a killing field as he did during Local Government elections. We call on the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police of Oyo State to please take note and ensure that the lives of PDP members in Oyo State are protected. - In a most unprecedented attempt to fundamentally breach the provisions of the PDP constitution 2017 (as amended) the communiqué of the meeting purportedly named an eleven-member Oyo State 2021 Local Organizing Committee for the congress, apparently to gag the coming congress committee of the NWC and usurp their functions, roles and duties and becloud the fairness, freeness and openness of the congress. We are sure that the NWC of our party will have nothing to do with this illegal and unconstitutional body and we urge them not to do, so as not to create room for the nullification of the congress arising from the influence of such an illegal body on the congress committee from Abuja.
- Most contrary to the alleged trust the Omituntun Group purportedly placed in Engr. Seyi Makinde, he is not our leader in PDP Oyo State, and he cannot be trusted, having marginalised and maltreated us serially. We are indeed passing a vote of no confidence in him.
- It is now an open secret that Engr. Seyi Makinde will be joining the APC any moment from now (courtesy Femi Fani-Kayode’s interview last week). For a man who has consistently been moving in and out of PDP at will, this signal is more than enough for the leadership of PDP to use the opportunity of the coming congress in Oyo State to place the party (PDP) structure firmly in the hands of the very consistent and reliable PDP leaders (who have consistently remained in PDP in the last 20 years. The leadership of our party knows them, anything short of that is an indirect way to deliberately kill PDP in Oyo State (God forbid). Posterity beckons on the NWC Leadership of the party to do the needful and we hope they will do so. For those that are reaping where they have not sown, the day of reckoning will soon be at hand. They should remember the Yoruba adage that anyone who picks a naked snail will dig the soil to cover it up (Eniti o he igbin ihoho, o nbo wa tanle di).
- Together with our good people of Oyo State, we in the PDP Oyo State mainstream believe that by God’s grace we will rescue our dear state of Oyo and indeed the Federal Republic of Nigeria soonest, Amen.
A stitch in time saves nine
