A seven-member People’s Democratic Party (PDP) State Congress Committee for Ogun State on Sunday declared Rotarian Abayomi Tella as the newly elected chairman of the party.

At the congress held in Abeokuta, the state capital, the chairman of the committee, Kabiru Baffa Jauro, declared Tella as the winner of the election reportedly supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) team, led by Mrs. Uzo Amala Otegbulu; the commission’s Head of Department (HOD) for Election Party Monitoring (EPM) and other observers which included the police, the DSS and that of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Speaking after being declared winner, the new PDP State Chairman, Tella vowed that the state chapter of the party will be rejuvenated and repositioned for a successful contest in the 2027 elections in the state.

Tella specifically declared that the party under him will work towards restoring the party’s heritage as a ruling party which hitherto, boasts of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the nation’s president.

He explained that the primary concern of his party was not that of opposition, stressing that the process of returning to the seat of power must be realized at the next polls.

The new PDP boss noted that the party will reposition and reconcile with the aggrieved members.

Tella however, enjoined aggrieved members to desist from using the media as a tool for peddling false information.

“This is the same PDP that raised the level of economic prosperity in Ogun State before the APC administration eroded all the gains our people achieved under PDP and consequently leading to the wanton poverty that is ravaging our land,” he said.

“However, it is disheartening to describe the party as a tree that bears no fruit anymore. Many of the People who had benefited from the Party’s previous electoral victories are currently slaving in the APC, we are using this opportunity to request them to return to the base and join us in having a PDP that will be difficult to beat in 2027 and beyond.”

Also speaking with newsmen, PDP’s State Congress Committee Chairman, Jauro urged members of the public to disregard the report of the alleged parallel congress by the aggrieved members of the state chapter of the PDP, stressing that such remains a “kangaroos congress” and an exercise in futility.

Jauro maintained that his committee met with all politicians in the state chapter of PDP after liaising with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the party where necessary information regarding the conduct of the Saturday’s Congress was rolled out for a hitch-free conduct of the exercise.

“We came in yesterday and went round with the chairman to see the arrangements because we normally supposed to have a Local Organising Committee (LOC) to see the arrangements and we put in our own input regarding what we want to ensure a hitch-free conduct of the State Congress,” he said.

“We thereafter, met with the INEC, the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Abiodun Alamutu; the Director of the State Security Service (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to present ourselves to them for proper security arrangements. We thereafter, called attention of all the politicians in the state through the Caretaker Chairman that we are here to conduct the party’s State Congress.

“So, if there is anything or any other State Congress going on somewhere else, they are on their own because they neither have a letter of authority, not the list of the delegates and if they have, let them show you.

“For us here, we have the ballot papers and list of all the statutory and non-statutory delegates; everything here with me. Very soon, you’ll see the actual delegates voting after we must have done the accreditation which is starting from the Ogun West Senatorial district where we are expecting five Local Governments.”

Meanwhile, another congress was conducted by the immediate past PDP chairman in Ogun State by Sikirullahi Ogundele-led exco.

He disclosed that it was unfortunate that a group of people conducted another congress.

He noted that the register used their during ward congress was authenticated by the PDP national working committee.