DRAMA played out on Thursday as Chairman, Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Moshood Salvador received into the party decampees from ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Accord and Kowa Party, at a function in Oregun. While at Ikorodu, a group of party leaders passed a “no confidence vote” in his leadership, calling for his sack.
At the Oregun event, Salvador, while receiving the decampees, including Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, a former KOWA local government chairmanship aspirant, assured Lagosians that PDP was sure of presenting a better alternative, come 2019.
However, at Ikorodu end of the state, chieftains and members of Lagos East Senatorial District passed “vote of no confidence” on the state chairman, Salvador, demanding that he vacated the office forthwith having failed to honour and implement the 65/35 sharing agreement for offices in favour of the Makarfi group as reached some time ago.
The development followed the similar “no confidence vote” passed by the Lagos West PDP last week, at a rally which took place at Alimosho and attended by former governorship aspirant of the party, Dr Adegbola Dominic and other party leaders drawn from all the senatorial districts in the state.
This was just as the leaders and party faithfuls at the Ikorodu, including former Lagos PDP deputy chairman, Prince Ola Apena; former organising secretary for the party, Prince Abayomi Kuye; Pa Kehinde Koku, Chief Aderibigbe Shitta, party chairmen from various local government areas in the state, including Prince Niyi Aborishade, Elder Babatunde Agbaje, among others, declared that whosoever was not with them at the event was against the 65/35 per cent agreement, and, therefore, against the former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief George and the party.
They moved and voted through voice vote resolutions read out by Prince Kuye that “Salvador is no longer our chairman,” “We stand on 65/35 per cent sharing formula,” “No Local Government was given to any House of Reps member, that is a lie,” “A new State Chairman would be named for the party in the state next week.”
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Speaking at the event, former deputy chairman of PDP in the state, Prince Apena, insisted that Salvador can no longer remain as the party chairman, declaring that the battle-line was already drawn.
The party chieftain, who recalled that he was a very close pal of Salvador and instrumental to how he became the PDP chairman in his first term, said he had since parted ways with him, even as he disclosed that he warned Chief George not to field him (Salvador) for the second term.
“I have seen from close range that he (Salvador) worked against the chairmanship aspiration of Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George.
“If Chief Bode George accepts his apology now that he has started begging, I would not because we are not ready to work with him anymore.
“It is on 65/35 per cent sharing formula we stand, the battle has just started,” Apena vowed.
In his own remark, Elder Agbaje said leaders and members had continued to move around to clamour for Salvador’s removal as PDP chairman in the state, declaring that party members that were not in attendance at Ikorodu’s event but instead at the Oregun gathering, that was tagged, “exco meeting” was not known to Lagos PDP.
“Our leader, Chief Bode George is with us here. Anybody that is not with us here is not of PDP. Very soon those people will know we are the authentic PDP, and then they would pack their load.
“What they are doing for Salvador at Oregun where they said they gather today is a send forth party for him,” Elder Agbaje said.
Also speaking, one of the PDP elders, Chief Koku, demanded that Hon. Salvador should leave the PDP as he had refused to implement the 65/35 per cent sharing agreement on the basis of which he became the party chairman in the state.
The Chairman, Ojo Local Government of the party, Comrade Adeyemi Kazeem, also insisted that Salvador must leave the present office he is occupying, saying he contributed largely to the failure of the alliance struck between the PDP and Labour Party (LP) in the last local government election in the state.
Meanwhile, Salvador, while speaking at the General Assembly in Oregun, said the PDP in the state was against the recent hike in Land Use charge by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration, urging Lagosians to put up resistance against the enforcement of the new charges as it lacked a human face.
The hike was recently passed by the State House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Ambode.
Salvador condemned the hike, describing it as wicked and oppressive, even as he pointed out that the act was a confirmation of the APC’s insensitivity to the plight of Lagosians.
According to him, the action is a confirmation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) insensitivity to the plight of Lagosians, saying it was particularly worrisome that this was coming at a very difficult time for Lagosians.
Furthermore, Salvador, who is former House of Representatives member, stressed that the hike was also unrealistic as passed into law.
According to him, this is based on the fact that most landlords do not make the kind of revenue expected to be paid on their properties, contending that the development could make property owners to hike rent, which would, in turn, affect Lagosians negatively.
