Disquiet in Lagos PDP over election of new state officials

The upcoming 2023 elections provide another opportunity for the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to accomplish its life-long dream: defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the governorship polls.

This would, however, remain a tall dream if party stakeholders cannot work as a team. As things stand, a good number of stakeholders seem to be finding it difficult to agree to a resolution of the internal crises that have always been a setback for the party since 1999.

In view of the disquiet trailing the party’s state congress held on February 28, which produced a former Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Tourism in Lagos State, Mr. Philip Aivoji, as the new chairman, the need for the party to forge a common front ahead of next general elections has become imperative.

But would stakeholders like former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, Chairman of Lagos State Elders Committee of PDP, and former Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Dr. Bimbo Ogunkelu; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Mrs Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele; Mr. Segun Adewale (aka Aeroland), immediate past state chairman, Adedeji Doherty and a host of other party faithful be ready to sheath their swords and work in the interest of the party? This is the question on the lips of many observers.

Aivoji was elected at a state congress but Chief George and others were aggrieved and have challenged the exercise, saying that the Chairman, Electoral Committee for the congress and Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, deliberately manipulated the process to favour Aivoji.

In the congress, Aivoji polled 839 votes to defeat his closest contender, Dr Amos Fawole, who polled 816 votes. Diri noted the committee was fair and transparent in the conduct of the congress. He said six candidates contested but Aivoji, from the Badagry Division, won.

Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, who may probably be warming up to contest the Lagos East senatorial seat next year, scored zero vote; King Okuneye got 56 votes; Niyi Adams polled 29 votes, while Dr Abiodun Adebiyi scored zero vote.

Other elected officers are Mr. Benedict Tai (Deputy Chairman), Mr Soji Orioye (Secretary), Mr Hakeem Amodu (Publicity Secretary), and Mrs Idowu Akinsanya (Women Leader), among others.

George, whom several members of the party consider to have been a setback to the party over the years, said the congress was a mere charade perpetrated by Diri.

He told The Guardian that an appeal against the exercise is currently being looked into by the National Working Committee (NWC), led by the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

The Guardian gathered that the Appeal Committee sat on the matter on Tuesday but no concrete step or decision has been taken as to whether the exercise would be discarded or the stakeholders would be asked to go for harmonisation.

George said the congress was stage-managed and therefore cannot stand. He also expressed doubt about the competence of Aivoji and the newly elected executive to win Lagos for PDP.

He also queried the rationale for the party to use harmonisation to select ward and local council executives only to now adopt elective method for the state congress despite the harmonisation list, adding that the congress was a “ground to regress and bury’ PDP in Lagos State ahead of the 2023 election.”

George warned the NWC not to allow the congress that produced Aivoji to stand, saying the party may have just been set up to crash like a pack of cards before the APC in 2023.

He lampooned Diri of having presided and coordinated the barefaced charade and chicanery he was apparently sent to do by selfish interests within and outside our party.

The former PDP deputy national chairman alleged that the manipulation trajectory turned full-blown when a congress scheduled for 8a.m didn’t commence till later in the night, noting that the Bayelsa State Governor had initially given his words on consensus choice before suddenly changing to the surprise of everyone.

Some disgruntled members also alleged that the intrigues around the congress was solely about the plot of the National Leader of APC, Bola Tinubu to manipulate Lagos PDP using his friendship with Ayu and former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.

It was also alleged that the zoning pattern was altered otherwise the state chairmanship ought not to have been from Badagry. The last three chairmen of PDP in Lagos came from Lagos West and the zoning pattern already stated that the next should be from Lagos Central.

It was further noted that choice of Aivoji, who is from the same local council area with the Deputy National Chairman of the party, . Koshoedo, was wrong considering that there are other zones with no offices.

However, Dr Pearse said the vituperation of George should be disregarded and every member of the party should support Aivoji and his team to succeed.

Pearse said there was nothing wrong with harmonisation since there was agreement and the stakeholders acted in good faith at the ward and local council levels. “They must first agree that they are equal partners in the arrangement. Secondly, they must hold on to only what has been allotted to them in the sharing formula,” he said.

He said George, the man who championed the harmonisation arrangement, was the one who is against the spirit of the arrangement when he disregarded the principle of the agreement, which was that the parties involved in the negotiation must regard each other as equal, no victor and no vanquished.

He said George wanted to claim the positions allotted to him (George) and other positions allotted to other leaders. “We are informed that he has produced a ‘unity list’ consisting of names as well as offices of his own for which delegates must vote.”

Pearse called on the NWC to disregard George and his supporters, saying, Lagos PDP is well organised and now set to win in 2023.

In another reaction, a former state chairman of PDP, Captain Tunji Shelle, who used to be in Bode George’s camp before said there was nothing wrong with the congress that produced Aivoji. He insisted that if majority of members opted for elective congress, which Diri conducted, so be it.

He appealed to disgruntled members not to allow the efforts of the likes of Abdul Azeez Adediran, the convener of Lagos4Lagos Movement in APC, who recently defected to PDP, go to waste.

He noted that for the first time, PDP governors and influential personalities assembled in Lagos to welcome someone that defected to PDP from APC, describing it as “a good omen and sign of good things to come to PDP in 2023.”

Also reacting, the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos for the 2015 and 2019 elections, Jimi Agbaje said the method adopted for the state congress doesn’t matter so long as the majority opted for elective state congress and a result was achieved.
He pledged loyalty to the leadership of the new state executive just like thousands of members of Lagos PDP had done.

In similar vein, the immediate past spokesman of Lagos PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani said the emergence of Aivoji would reposition the party. He noted, however, the development does not mean the likes of Chief George, a leader and founding member of the party, were no longer relevant.

On the plan ahead of the party’s primaries, Gani said all intending governorship aspirants will participate in the primary to select the best and the most popular.

Aivoji, in his interaction with The Guardian, appealed to all displeased members to sheath their swords and join forces with the new executive to rescue Lagos from APC.

Aivoji disclosed that he was making move to meet with George for discussion, just as he promised that the party’s primaries would be transparent with no preferential treatment.

Already there are three major governorship contenders now in the person of a former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Ade Dosunmu, Prince Wale Gomez and Adediran.

The trio, in separate interactions with The Guardian, emphasised the need for peace, unity and readiness to make necessary sacrifice to rescue Lagos.

Gomez considers his strength to win the primary on the basis of the outcome he got from the tour of the wards while Dosunmu, who contested against former Governor Babatunde Fashola in 2011 is looking at his experience and positive interaction he recorded during his tour of local council areas and wards. Adediran is like the beautiful bride of Lagos PDP.

Interestingly, all the warring factions in the party see the strength of0 Lagos4Lagos Movement, as an advantage PDP could tap into to oust the ruling party next year.