Day Ibarapa PDP leaders pledged allegiance to Makarfi, Muraina

AS Nigerians await the Supreme Court decision on the seemingly intractable leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with further hearing on the appeal filed by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee against the declaration of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party, some leaders of the party have begun to look beyond the leadership struggle towards mobilising party faithful ahead of the future.

The chairman of the Oyo State PDP Interim Management Committee, Makarfi Group and former member representing Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency, Dr Ajibola Muraina, was one of the few leaders to have taken such initiative, returning to his home base where hundreds of party faithful in Ibarapa zone of Oyo State defied the scorching sun to demonstrate their commitment to the PDP.

The gathering of party leaders and members in the two local governments making up the federal constituency did not only celebrate the home-coming of their former representative, they also adumbrated his good works as a Rep member and even after leaving office.

Speaking at the meeting, which Muraina and other key leaders of the party described as a stewardship meeting for the their son and leader, several key leaders of the constituency such as a former member of the House of Representatives, Honourable M.F. Adeegbe; Chief P.A. Olawuwo and Chief Sarafadeen Olaoniye, among others, all pledged commitment to Makarfi’s leadership of the party at the national level and Muraina’s leadership at the Oyo State level.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Muraina maintained that all he could do was to appreciate God, noting that he was delighted that his people still remained steadfastly committed to the PDP and assuring them that the Makarfi Group had chosen to remain with the people irrespective of the outcome of the matter before the Supreme Court.

As testimonies to Muraina’s efforts, constituents spoke of how his two terms in office had bode well for the constituency while the lawmaker, in a sort of stewardship account, revealed how as a member of the House of Representatives, he made several interventions that affected the constituency and the state positively, adding that even after leaving office, he has not rested on his oars, as he still secured employment for some indigenes of the constituency in federal agencies recently.

Dr Muraina revealed how he sponsored a motion of urgent public importance, which led the House of Representatives under Speaker Aminu Tambuwal to commiserate with Oyo State and its people and send delegation to see first-hand the damage done by the August 26, 2011 flood in Ibadan. According to him, the report of that delegation led to several interventionist projects such as channelisation and dredging, which were in the subsequent national budgets of 2012 and 2013. The former lawmaker also added how a similar motion was accepted on the Bodija Market traders who suffered ill-fate in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents when they went to buy food products in Borno and how the resolution of the House not only saw to it commiserating with the traders but also ensuring that appropriate government agencies such as NEMA were directed to compensate the victims.

Noting that he was happy that God used him to make such interventions, Muraina maintained that his greatest joy was the fact that the power transmission stations he facilitated for Ibarapa North, Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa East were still ongoing despite having left office, noting that when completed, they will address electricity supply in Ibarapa zone and other areas of Oyo State.

“You would recall that I was the person that wrote the minority report during the power probe by the House of Representatives and after the minority report, which was accepted by the House, through my efforts and relationship with the Ministry of Power, I was able to facilitate the citing of three power transmission stations in Igangan in Ibarapa North; Igbo Ora in Ibarapa Central and Lanlate in Ibarapa East, which is outside my constituency. The projects started in 2010 and throughout my tenure, they have been funding the project and even after leaving office, because of my link with some of my colleagues, who are still in the House, they are still funding the projects till date and they have reached an advanced stage. The important news is that when completed, it will not only supply more than enough electricity to Ibarapa, from the findings I have made from the officials of the Power Ministry, when completed, they will have to be shedding electricity to other areas in Oyo State such as Oyo and Iseyin. Up till now, work is still going on and I am not resting on my oars. It will be my greatest joy when that project is commissioned,” the former lawmaker said.

On a personal note, the former lawmaker told his people that despite his loss of election in 2015, he had been able to achieve some things for himself and practise his cherished legal profession, making reference to how he became a Notary Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria soon after leaving office and how he recently bagged a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Abuja.

In their respective remarks, Olawuwo, Adeegbe and Olaoniye all maintained that Muraina had always been a worthy leader of his people in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North local governments, noting that it was not a mistake that he was considered the best man for the job of leading the interim management committee of the PDP in Oyo State.

A communiqué read at the end of the meeting declared support for the Makarfi-led caretaker committee; the South-West zonal executive of the party led by Dr Eddy Olafeso and the Oyo State interim management committee led by Dr Muraina on all steps, actions and activities towards repositioning, reorganising and promoting the party and enhancing its victories in future elections.

The meeting also adopted the resolutions of meetings held by the leadership of the party in Abuja, Ekiti and Ibadan, urging the leadership to join hands with party supporters across the country to pursue the appeal at the Supreme Court to a logical conclusion, expressing that they have trust and confidence in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

In less than two weeks, the Supreme Court will continue the hearing of the matter regarding the leadership of the PDP, but feelers from the Ibarapa meeting pointed in one direction—that the people know their leaders and were resolved to follow them come rain or shine.