By Oluwakemi Ishola
Members of the Southwest Zonal Caretaker Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have accused the Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde of running the party in the zone like a one man show, raising concerns over the composition of Ondo State Governorship Campaign Council, in which key leaders in the South West were excluded deliberately.
The caretaker committee members, who declared that Governor Makinde’s non-inclusive leadership style had caused clear division of the party in the zone, also passed a vote of no confidence on the Chairman, Dayo Adegbenro, calling for his removal by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) over alleged incompetence.
The members made this known in a letter to the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, dated September 10, 2020.
The letter was signed by seven out of the 12 members of the Caretaker Committee. The signatories were, the Zonal Secretary, Daisi Akintan, Funmilayo Ogun, Ayobola Fadeyi-Awolowo, Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi, Martins Oluabiloye, Wahab Owokoniran and Mustapha Sikiru.
“Also, Governor (Makinde) is not running an inclusive leadership government in the Zone failure which has affected the party negatively; of particular concerns the unpatriotic composition of Ondo State governorship campaign Council that has excluded deliberately the key leaders in the South West. Thus, there is a clear division of the party in the Zone, without doubt the party has divided into two in the South West,” they said.
Calling for the removal of the Chairman, the seven members said; “He has failed thus far to summon any Executive meeting of the Caretaker Committee and even the Stakeholders meeting of the Zone. At best he remains an unimaginative puppet that consistently reacts to the pull of the strings by the puppet master.
“That on account of the foregoing, the NWC of our Party is hereby invited to remove him from office before he does incalculable damage to the Party. Failure to so do within a short while will compel all Caretaker Committee members to resign enmass.”
They dissociated themselves from the Press Statement issued by the Chairman, condemned its content and context, saying he did not act on behalf of Southwest Zonal Caretaker Committee.
“We take further exception to the insinuation contained in Ogungbenro’s statement to the effect that Gov Seyi Makinde is the Sole Administrator of the Party in the South West. That indeed is an illiterate opinion as what is obtainable is a collegiate leadership that manages the Party in the Zone,” they said.
While acknowledging Governor Makinde as the only sitting Governor in the Zone and therefore the leader of the party in South West, the seven members stated that “there are other leaders in the Zone that are equally of essence in the management and sustainance of the Party.
“In this regard, we reiterate that ex-Governor Ayo Fayose, Hon Ladi Adebutu and Senator Ademola Adeleke remained credible leaders of the Party in our Zone and we repose absolute confidence in them. We also publicly pledge our loyalty and total support to them as they continue to discharge responsibilities that extend the frontiers of the Party in the Zone.
“We take further exception to the insinuation contained in Ogungbenro’s statement to the effect that Gov Seyi Makinde is the Sole Administrator of the Party in the South West. That indeed is an illiterate opinion as what is obtainable is a collegiate leadership that manages the Party in the Zone.”
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