lbadan PDP parley an informal gathering of Makinde’s friends-S/W exco.Says resolution not binding

By Dapo Falade

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be heading for another round of crisis as the leadership of the party in the South-West has declared as informal and unconstitutional the meeting held by some of its leaders on Friday.

Recalled that some leaders of the party met, at the behest of Governor Seyi Makinde, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where they resolved to ensure building the party into a strong, indissoluble structure.

Present at the meeting were former Governor Olugunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) ; former Governor Ayo Fayose (Ekiti); his predecessor, Chief Segun Oni; a former military administrator of Ondo State and former PDP deputy national chairman, Chief Olabode George, National Assembly members and other stakeholders.

However, the South-West zonal leadership of the party, in a statement issued on Saturday by its publicity secretary, Ayo Fadaka, said the meeting was a mere gathering of the friends of Governor Makinde and not a zonal meeting of the party.

It further alleged that the meeting was summoned by the governor without any recourse to the zonal caretaker committee of the party, adding “In view of the foregoing, its resolutions, if any, is not binding on the party in the South West zone.

“We declare that the zonal executive is constitutionally empowered to drive the affairs of the party in the South-West, and this is a responsibility it cannot delegate. Therefore any zonal meeting not convened by the zonal executive is a direct affront on the party’s constitution and an unlawful repudiation of same.

“This action signals the beginning of anarchy within the party in the zone and it will be absolutely irresponsible of the zonal executive to just ignore it.
We are, therefore, left with no choice other than to report this development to the National Secretariat who will determine the appropriate response to issues of impunity like this.

“We must declare that the current executive committee of the South-West zone values very seriously the amity, understanding and cooperation that exist in the zone and will continue to trenchantly ensure its sustainance.

“We also wish to implore all party leaders to appreciate the recent growth and development in the party’s fortune and resist any temptation to create any form of disaffection in the party capable of reversing our gains,” the statement.