By DAPO FALADE
The chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Engineer Adedeji Doherty, the visit, last week, of some executives of the party in the state to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was with his consent.
This was as he said the visit of the Lagos PDP executive members to the Oyo State governor was not without the knowledge, consent and brief of other leaders and stakeholders.
The Lagos PDP chairman however refuted insinuations that there is a crack within the executive committee of the party in the state and reaffirmed that the executive committee still remains one indivisible entity.
It would be recalled that two members of the executive of the Lagos PDP, including the Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Waliu Hassan and a former member of the House of Representative, Honourable Rita Orji, last Saturday, held a meeting in Ibadan with Governor Makinde where they endorsed him as the leader of the party in the South-West.
As contained in release by the Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, the two Lagos PDP leaders said they were highly appreciative of the outstanding role the governor has played in the life of the party.
They pledged their unflinching loyalty to the leadership of Makinde in the South-West PDP, adding that his leadership style was exemplary and asked the governor to continue his leadership role and never to relent in showing leadership.
The duo said: “The purpose of today’s meeting, to be very precise, is to thank Governor Makinde for standing by the party and to pledge total loyalty to his leadership of the South-West. No more, no less.
“We can tell you that the governor does not want anything from us. He, as the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State, needs nothing from the party. Rather, we are the ones who came all the way from Lagos, to plead with him to keep leading the party.”
The Lagos PDP chairman said his attention has been drawn to series of dissenting voices as a fallout from the visit of some party executive members in the state, led by the state deputy chairman, to Governor Makinde of Oyo State.
He said the visit was not without his knowledge, consent and brief of other Lagos PDP leaders and stakeholders, but however advised the governor to take the visit of some of the Lagos State executive members to his state as a sign of respect to his office and not a sign of victory over what the majority of leaders in Lagos State stand for.
He said the leadership of Governor Makinde in the South-West, by virtue of being the only sitting governor in the zone, is not in contention and is undisputed.
Doherty, however, advised the governor that, in his bid to reposition the party in the South-West, he should do away with political sycophants, detractors and ill-advisers who could scuttle his bid, adding that he should also try to meet with the party leaders who worked with him before his victory when he was campaigning to be governor.
The Lagos PDP chairman also alleged that it was unfortunate that, despite several entreaties and clamor by himself and several other interested parties, Governor Makinde had consistently alienated, sidelined and ignored the key leaders and stakeholders of the party in Lagos.
He said he is “supportive of peace, reconciliation, strict adherence to the rule of law, our party constitution and any move channeled towards the growth of the party, provided the moves are honourable and devoid of back stabbing and bickering.”
Doherty also said he is earnestly looking forward to the Senator Bukola Saraki-led Peace, Reconciliation and Strategy Committee that had been mandated by the PDP NWC-led by the national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to wade into unfolding events in the party in the South-West.
He said he believes the committee has the capacity to give the PDP a direction in the zone and also prayed that God would uphold and strengthen the party in its bid to return to its pride of place.
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