How Makinde can save Osun PDP —Olu Alabi

WITH the governorship election two years away, the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is involved in an intense muscle flexing. Senator Olu Alabi, medical doctor and member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), speaks on the crisis, implications and role of external forces. KUNLE ODEREMI brings excerpts of the interview.

AS  an elder and member of the Board of Trustee (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), what do you think are the real issues behind the brewing crisis in the chapter of the party in your state, Osun?

The matter is that the Adelekes are bent on hijacking the party.  The members of the PDP South-West Committee, headed by Chief Eddy Olafeso, have completed their term in office. So, we rezoned the posts among the six states in the South-West. The current members want a second term. At the South-West meeting held at the residence of the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, in Ibadan, Olafeso pleaded that he should be allowed to return for a second term since he is no longer interested in the governorship race in Ondo State. Meanwhile, Lagos State PDP said it wanted the post of zonal secretary. And when we were contacted in Osun, we said we were not interested in the post because the outgoing secretary is Reverend Bunmi Jenyo. But he is the one behind the crisis in the Osun State chapter of the party. He is working for the camp of Adeleke, taking correspondence to Abuja on behalf of the group, because of his position.

So, they were not happy when the post of secretary was zoned to Lagos. Therefore, they renewed the battle that Soji Adagunodo must go as the Osun PDP chairman. They accused him of engaging in anti-party activities and contributed to the loss of the PDP in the 2019 elections. You are accusing a man who hails from the senatorial district that the party won in the election. During his tenure, we won the governorship election. But the victory was snatched from us in the court on the ground that the academic qualification of our candidate was not complete. So, how can you accuse Adagunodo of indulging in anti-party activities?

About six months ago, the fact-finding committee that was sent to investigate the allegations against Adagunodo emphatically stated that it did not find him guilty of any of the allegation or offence; that he gave a clear account of all the funds he collected for the purpose of the elections; that he and the working committee at the state level were involved in the disbursement of the funds and that they saw the impact of the expenses on the performance of the party. But they now want him to face a disciplinary committee after he had been given a clean bill of health. The fact-finding committee comprised former Minister of Environment, Mrs Malam, Senator Misau and Senator Sam Anyanwu. Since they could not hang any offence on his neck, they wrote a letter that Soji Adagunodo should step aside. We were surprised to discover that the national organisation secretary was empowered to issue such letter, but he declined to sign it because he was satisfied with the report of the fact-finding committee. But they decided to put the name of the national secretary of the party, whereas the man is currently in Kaduna State because of the current lockdown in the state over the COVID-19 pandemic.

As far as we are concerned, all the members of the PDP BoT from Osun State are on one page; all the elders are on the same page over the issue. It is the Adeleke family that is saying they want to preserve the Adeleke dynasty. They believe that, with Adagunodo as state chairman, the standard-bearer of the PDP in the 2018 governorship election, Ademola Adeleke, may not emerge as the candidate for the 2022 governorship poll in Osun. He left the country a long time ago. So, why should anyone think of risking the fortunes of the party and the state because you want to preserve your own dynasty? This thing is not about anybody having a war-chest to pull the string. Those behind this problem are not ready to present any other person outside their dynasty.

What advice do you have for the party in order to avert a repeat of history?

Our election is less than two years away. This is not the time to bicker and cause unnecessary distractions for the party. Besides, Adagunodo still has two years of his tenure to go. This not the time to conduct another congress to replace the executive; let us work towards having a unified party and promised the citizens what we intend to do if elected that will make a difference in governance. So far, all the chairmen of the party in the local government areas are together; members of the State Working Committee are working together. What many found most irritating is that the deputy state chairman of the party should takeover once Adagunodo steps aside. He hails from Ede, the hometown of the Adeleke family. So, a lot of people are curious if this reality is lost to those forces against Adagunodo.

All the BoT members are against that letter: the position of former Minister of Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada; ex-Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; former PDP deputy national chairman, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun and former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola is that Adagunodo should remain in office in the interest of the PDP. They are all embittered. You didn’t consult the BoT members, about six of us. Are they saying the three of them are wiser than us as the main stakeholders? Are they saying they understand the politics of the state more than us? Or they are more interested in Osun than us? All of us BoT members are completely for Adagunodo.

The situation that is gradually playing out in the Osun PDP could lead to litigation with dire consequences for the party as it happened in the past. What do you envisage this time?

We will try and solve it politically because we have gone through such crisis before against Chief Iyiola Omisore. We have enough elders in the Osun that will solve it. If Ademola Adeleke wants to contest, he is free to run, but they want to make him the sole candidate of the PDP. Nobody is against his candidature, but until then, he remains an aspirant and we are bound to have more aspirants. Dr Akin Ogunbiyi is still interest in the PDP ticket and more aspirants are likely to join the fray. So, we cannot make anybody the sole candidate of the PDP now.

We have passed through this road before. We know the consequence. It was not encouraging. But the good thing is that we still have time to resolve it. We as members of the BoT and elders of the party will go to the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, on the matter because it appears he has been listening to one side. We have a PDP governor in the South-West who understands the politics of Osun to an extent. But the South-West zonal leadership is the one causing the disaffection. They are being used by the Adeleke camp at the national headquarters. There is more to the lobbying strategy of the Adeleke group and the zonal officers, whereas these are people that were not elected; they were just chosen at a meeting held in Akure, Ondo State. The Olafeso committee members were not the constitutionally elected zonal leaders.

But their tenure seemed to have been legitimised over time; they have been taking decisions which all PDP faithful in the zone complied with?

They have even been in office for more than four years so, their legitimacy has expired. They are due for replacement. That is why they making desperate bid to renew their tenure and we have not re-elected them. We have re-zoned all the positions as usual. Olafeso is lobbying to be retained as chairman. Meanwhile, we have zoned the position of secretary to Lagos State and Chief Olabode George has said the decision remains sacrosanct. I think we have left the position of chairman for Ondo and if they still want Olafeso, good luck to them. It is however not compulsory. Ideally, the post of zonal chairman should go to Oyo State this time, because it has never occupied the position. The PDP national chairman (South) is from Ogun. He is not aware of what is going on concerning the controversial letter; he is enraged about it.

By now, Osun PDP leaders should be considering how to strike a compromise so that the crisis engendered by the letter does not go beyond control…

The issue of compromise does not arise at all. They should withdraw the letter; let Adagunodo finish his term and then we elect a new chairman because the primary election will soon start. Campaign will soon begin; this is not the time to elect a new executive. The one we did the other time took us almost two years during the Omisore era before Adagunodo eventually emerged. So, how can we start from the same route again?

What kind of intervention would you like to see from Governor Makinde as the rallying force for PDP in the South-West on the smouldering crisis in the Osun State chapter?

When there was crisis in the Lagos PDP, Makinde went to the state to resolve the dispute. Osun is closer to Oyo State; we do share positions, so he should have come to Osun before going to Lagos. Therefore, there is nothing stopping him from intervening in the Osun PDP crisis. But it appears they did not even deem it necessary to contact on the matter. In fact, they didn’t contact anybody, including Prince Oyinlola, as a former governor of Osun State, neither did they contact or reach out to any of the remaining BoT members and other elders of the PDP. Nobody is against Ademola, but let him come for a fair primary election; if he emerges, no problem. Those forces behind him are insisting he must be the sole candidate in an era when the Supreme Court can remove governors a day to their being sworn in. We must do our homework diligently and efficiently; that we do proper primary and no imposition so that you will not give anybody the slightest chance to resort to litigation, pre or post-primary election. We don’t want to be ridiculed by the Supreme Court as it has warned us that politicians should gather their acts together.

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