Stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party in Ibadan North Local Government of Oyo State rose from a crucial meeting where they resolved to send a warning note to the Governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, on the series of imposition of candidates for the coming ward congresses in the party at the local government.
The stakeholders who cut across all the twelve wards that make up the local government alleged that the Governor and the loyalists have been trying to hijack the structure of the party from those who have laboured hard for the successes of the party at the polls in the 2019 elections.
The stakeholders who belonged to the various caucuses in the party – Seyi Makinde Liberation Group, decampees from the ADC, loyalists to the Deputy Governor, loyalists to a former Chairman of the local government, Hon Ademola Omotosho, among others.
They insisted that the Governor is compiling a list of potential ward executive members against the general wish of party members.
The stakeholders alleged that those who make up the list compiled by the Governor and his loyalists were persons with no weight or followership within and outside the party.
Speaking to press at the end of the meeting, the convener of the meeting, Mr Alagbe Gbemileke, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders explained that they are not ready to defect to another party as they are the ones who held the reins of the party when the Governor himself defected to another party and accepted him with open arms when he and his loyalists came back to the party, and ensured the victory of the party when not many believed in him.
They said that the self-centredness of this administration has made many party loyalists lose face with people in their constituency.They pointed at how even State House of Assembly members in the state have not been able to do a single empowerment programme for their constituents as a result of the neglect by the administration.
In their communiqué, the stakeholders insisted that the actions of the Governor and his co-travellers will only make party faithful resort to anti-party activities. They referred the Governor to what happened in Lagos with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the Third Republic where SDP members resorted to working against the party for the Governorship election and canvassed for the opposing National Republican Congress (NRC).
They therefore advised the Governor to retrace his steps and allow for a fair playing ground where all party members can test their popularity rather than hide behind the facade of incumbency.
