Close ranks to reclaim Oyo, Secondus charges new executive

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Uche Secondus, has advised leaders and members of the party in Oyo state to close ranks and return power to the party in 2019.

Secondus, represented by the party’s National Legal Adviser, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, gave the advice on Monday in Abuja while inaugurating the Executive Committee of the party in the state.He said that the inauguration was one of the unification processes of PDP in Oyo state, noting that all hitherto factions of the party in the state were present.

“This exercise today is to enable you, the new executive of our party, to go back home and begin to heal whatever needs to be healed in our party.

“You need to bring every party member and stakeholders together. This exercise will give you the necessary official capacity to go back to Oyo state and make sure you bring all the leaders of our party together under one roof.’’

Secondus charged the party officials to ensure that they complied with the party’s Constitution in carrying out their responsibilities in the state.

“You are expected to ensure that from every ward and local government in Oyo, whenever you are taking decision, you must make sure that majority of our people are carried along in that process.

“When you take the party back to the people of Oyo, we know that the power in the state will come back to PDP.

“The PDP is poised to take over power in Oyo and Nigeria in 2019, and the process begins now.

“PDP is a mass movement anytime and anywhere and Oyo cannot be an exception.

“You are very much aware that PDP is in every home in Oyo, so, we expect the new leadership to make sure that you go to every home and bring out our members to make PDP thicker than you met it today,’’ he said.

Secondus commended Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, who contested the national chairmanship of the party in the December, 2017 National Convention, for withdrawing his suit against the party.

“What he has done is putting the party and democracy in Nigeria above his personal interest. I want to tell you that he has shown enormous goodwill to this party at this critical time.’’

In his remarks, National Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the party, Dr Eddy Olafeso, said that the party needed reconciliation and unity to move forward.

Olafeso urged the new leadership of PDP in Oyo state to provide the direction that the state chapter required, and called on the new executive committee to reach out to aggrieved former leaders and members.

Olafeso assured that the party would give the necessary support for the development of PDP in Oyo and South-West.

On his part, Chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, said that a lot needed to be done to reach aggrieved members and bring them together, insisting that “if we say nothing is happening, we are deceiving ourselves’’.

Mustapha said he was grateful for the trust that the party bestowed on the new executive, adding that they would commence work on the task given to them immediately.