A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State loyal to the party’s gubernatorial candidate in 2019 election, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has split into two with some executive members sticking to the Abuja peace agreement reached in order to end the party’s protracted crisis in the state.
Kashamu’s group and the other faction led by former House of Representatives member, Ladi Adebutu had been enmeshed in fierce battle for the control of the party structure.
While the National Working Committee (NWC) recognised Adebutu’s faction, Kashamu’s group under Engr Bayo Dayo as Chairman had a court judgement which declared Dayo-led executive as authentic.
But last week, the two groups met with the National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus in Abuja where they reportedly agreed to sheath their swords. However, Dayo distanced Kashamu’s faction from the peace agreement, saying Secretary of the party, Semiu Sodipo who was at the Abuja meeting had been suspended.
In a swift reaction, Sodipo said his suspension would not stand because the Chairman “lacks powers to do so.”
The Secretary explained that he alongside 10 out of 14-member Central Working Committee of Dayo-led executive, agreed to the Abuja peace meeting in order to nip in the bud, the prolonged crisis rocking Ogun PDP.
According to Sodipo, PDP had failed in the last three gubernatorial elections in the state due to disagreement with the national executive. While maintaining that there is no going back on the peace agreement, the embattled Secretary said they await NWC’s position on Ogun PDP Congresses contrary to Dayo’s position that they would go ahead to conduct Congresses at all levels in the state.
He said “We looked at the storms that had befallen us three times, 2011, 2015 and 2019, we discovered that it was lack of cooperation with the national office. We then decided to go to Abuja and express our readiness to work with the national.
“We now decided on our own that after obeying the court orders three times and failed those three times, we want to listen to the dictate of our national secretariat. We have decided to take instructions from the national secretariat, we would follow their guidelines and timetable and the path they want us to take.”
Speaking on his suspension, Sodipo said “My suspension doesn’t exist and it can not exist.
“They don’t have a working committee at all, the entire members of the working committee are 14 in number and they have only two while we have 10, and just two of them can’t call a working committee meeting.
“They know it, and at a stakeholders meeting you can’t take any decision that will affect PDP as a party. They can’t even suspend an ex-officio not to talk of a state secretary.”
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