The unending crisis in Lagos PDP

Despite the Supreme Court’s verdict which finally put to rest the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Lagos State chapter of the party is yet to get out of the mess, writes BOLA BADMUS.

Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently divided between the Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff groups as it were in pre- Supreme Court judgment that gave the control of the party to Makarfi.

Currently, the party in the state, even though has been handed over to Honourable Moshood Salvador to steer its ship as the chairman based on the Supreme Court verdict which was in favour of Senator Makarfi, the group led by Otunba Segun Adewale aka Aeroland of the Ali Modu Sheriff group has continued to lay claim to the chairmanship of the party.

According to Adewale, the Lagos State chapter of the party had its congresses conducted where he emerged as the chairman of PDP, contending that it was the convention of the party that was in dispute, whereas Honourable Salvador, while he continues to challenge anybody to ask Otunba Adewale to tell anybody where he had the congress that produced him as Lagos PDP chairman or that anybody should tell him (Salvador) where Adewale’s group had their congress, maintained that Adewale was one of his (Salvador) delegates to the Port Harcourt convention that never held.

This was the matter that continued to feature in discussion between the two factions before the Supreme Court verdict that eventually favoured Senator Makarfi and gave that control of PDP, the major opposition party in the country to him.

While the control of national leadership of the party was in the hands of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff before the Supreme Court later overturned it with its verdict, the Otunba Adewale led group had one day stormed the party State Secretariat at Sogunle in Ikeja area and took it over, sacking the Moshood Salvador- led group, a situation which led the sacked group to keep off the secretariat on account that it never wanted any crisis.

This was in spite of the fact that the property being used as Lagos PDP Secretariat was rented and paid for by the former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George, who is on the side of the Salvador-led group and remains perhaps the major pillar of that group.

But penultimate Thursday and several days after the Supreme Court verdict, the Salvador-led group felt justified to take possession of the party secretariat from Adewale which it now saw as an usurper. It, therefore, stormed the secretariat, but the group was resisted from gaining entry and, the situation, consequently led to the Lagos State Police command taking over, to avoid blood-letting. The police authorities later put the party secretariat under lock and keys.

But following the intervention of the National headquarters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under Senator Makarfi, the keys to the party office in Lagos was asked for through a letter written by the National Secretary, Senator Ben Obi, to be handed over to Chief Olabode George by the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Fatai Owoseni. George, it would be recalled is a member, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Also, Chief Aduke Maina is another member of BOT also from Lagos.

But even the handing over of the keys to the secretariat by the police commissioner to Chief George at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in the presence of Chief Maina penultimate Monday still brought some form of animosity between George and Maina, suggesting that the factionalisation of the party between Makarfi and Sheriff groups is yet to be laid to rest, notwithstanding the Supreme Court judgment.

As Chief George was addressing the press and trying to explain that no factionalisation existed in the Lagos State chapter of PDP, but mere friction and that he would hand over the secretariat keys to Salvador as the PDP chairman in the state, Chief Maina continued to raise her voices as she disagreed with George’s submission, saying there indeed, exists factionalisation in PDP.

“The notion that we have crisis in Lagos PDP is not correct, but for frictions, yes. We have frictions in many political settings, but the national secretariat is still alive and moderating all activities,” George said.

But according to Maina. “The people representing the party here are not the only party members. They are not the only party members, they are not the only party members. So if you want to build team for peace to reign, you have to take every other person inclusive. You can’t hand it over to just one person, it must be to everybody.

“And we as elderly people, we should be able to sit down and resolve our problems. I suggested that the party secretariat as he said belongs to all the party members. Now, that we have factions in the party, tension is high, let every one of them who wants to hold meetings there for now hold meetings at a different time, after some time, we would all work together. That is my suggestion. After some time, the problem would be solved,” Maina contended, and, thereafter left the venue.

Those who were the handing over of the keys to the PDP secretariat, include Salvador and his Exco members, former PDP state chairman and Captain Tunji Selle, among others.  But George, while speaking further, described Chief Maina’s act as disgraceful, saying the matter would be reported to the national headquarters of PDP for action, just as he maintained that nothing near crisis occurred in Lagos PDP, challenging anybody that cared to find out to do so with relevant organs of the party.

The PDP chieftain said that the only chapter of the party that did not hold any congresses in South West was Oyo State, insisting that Lagos was not among states that was listed to have any problem even at the recent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of PDP that was attended by Chief Maina herself.

Chief George expressed surprise that Maina being a member of BOT of PDP would still condone the Ali Modu Sheriff group to linger in office, saying it was a matter the leadership of the party at the national level must act upon.

“What I have to say is that we have held meeting at the National Secretariat, which you can clear. They may have differences, but there is no crisis in Lagos PDP, period. You can clear with the national headquarters, you can clear with the Zonal, you can clear with everybody you want to clear with. As far as I am concerned based on the meeting we had at the National Executive Committee meeting, there is only one Exco in Lagos.

“Now you can check, the only state that is yet to have congresses in the South West is Oyo State, well articulated. When you see those with Modu Sheriff and they are coming back to the party now that the (Supreme Court) judgment is there, you can see the cacophony of voices.

“Everybody may say whatever they want, we still have the Caretaker Committee who will decide what to be done. They are going to do exactly that. They told her (Maina) as a member of Board of Trustees that provides moral leadership for the party that I should collect the keys. I have collected the keys, she witnessed it and I am going to hand over the keys to him (Salvador).

“Other people, if they have grievances, there are procedures of resolving them, not to be here and be talking like somebody who is aggrieved. It is not my personal property, but the party has directed that the keys should be handed handed over to Chief Bode George and the letter is clear.

“I waited for her to be here, and she is now saying that one should hold a meeting and another one should come back another time to hold a meeting, that is the fastest track for confusion. The party in the next few weeks ahead would sort out all the problems, but at the NEC meeting, Lagos was not listed as a crisis-ridden state. She was at the meeting, but you need a lot of patience because you don’t know the unseen hands that are trying to undermine the system.

“But to see Sheriff appointee continue to linger on and being supported by a so-called member of BOT, no. Impunity, lack of respect for constituted authority led us to where we are and as this is on, the national headquarters is going to see to it. They are going to hear it. It is Salvador and you will hear from them very soon, loud and clear,” Chief George said.

Amid all this raging crisis, the factional chairman of PDP in the state, Otunba Adewale has added his voice. In a statement he released to the press last Tuesday, Adewale faulted Chief George, insisting that he remained the PDP chairman in the state and not Salvador, urging the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) to wade into the crisis in order to resolve it.

Adewale, while insisting that he remained the chairman of the Lagos chapter of the party, warned that attempt by any member of the BOT to favour a group over and above the other might return the party to its crisis state.

The PDP chieftain vowed, “Our members will resist any attempt by certain member of the BOT to return the PDP in Lagos to its dark days of imposition.

“Despite being fully aware that Chief George, a member of the BOT, is a principal actor in the crisis, we abided by the NCC (National Caretaker Committee) decision for peace. We strongly believe in the unity of the party and that the PDP is bigger than any single individual. For us to achieve lasting peace, however, BOT member involved should stay within the confines of his mandate of taking possession of the secretariat pending when the NCC fully reconciles all aggrieved members in Lagos.

It would be noted that the party in the state went into the last local government election, while having this same crisis on its hand. The party then under the control of Otunba Adewale, as the Supreme Court was yet to give its judgment, fielded candidates on its platform, while the Honourable Salvador group had to seek an alliance with the Labour Party on whose platform it fielded candidates.

Results of the election showed that the PDP won four councillorship Seats, while PDP-Labour Party alliance won no seat.

Political pundits are of the view that there is great need for the PDP in the state to reconcile with the Adewale group, giving the fact that Otunba Adewale aka Aeroland is not a pushover in Lagos politics.