Fresh crisis may have rocked Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a chieftain of the party, Otunba Segun Adewale popularly known as Aeroland insisted that he still it’s chairman till 2021 and not the current occupier, Dr Adegbola Dominic, even as he announced his (Dominic) immediate sack.
Adewale, who was a factional chairman of the party in the state during the national leadership tussle between Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and former Governor Ahmed Makarfi in 2017, made the claim while speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Saturday, saying he was back into the leadership position to build the party into a strong platform ahead of 2023 General Elections in the country.
The party chieftain, who assured that his goal was achievable, said the Supreme Court had on July 12, 2017, sacked Sheriff, affirming Makarfi as the national chairman, but quickly added that the court judgement did not sack him as state chairman and that his tenure would only expire in 2021.
According to him, Hon. Moshood Salvador, whom he handed over to, following the intervention of the party leadership and the power-sharing arrangements between Sheriff faction and Makarfi group, had since dumped PDP for All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that Dominic’s tenure was for a period of three months which had since expired last December.
This was just as Adewale alleged that Dominic, who he said was backed by the former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, to replace Salvador, had further factionalised the party since he took over as chairman while appointing his own chairmen in all the wards and local councils in the state.
“I am the authentic PDP chairman in Lagos, I only stepped aside for Salvador after the national leadership of the party asked me to do so.
“After two years of factional crisis, I obeyed the leadership of the party to allow peace to reign and that the party could make progress.
“When Salvador left for APC, I made attempts to step in to continue, but there were appeals from all corners that election was underway and that I should allow somebody from the George group to occupy the position in the interim, for a period of three months.
“I agreed and remained on the sidelines and Dominic emerged. But now, his tenure expired in December while I still have my original mandate till 2021.
“So he can no longer claim to be chairman. I am the chairman now. In fact, I have taken over the secretariat and I will not allow anybody to do anything there for now,” Otunba Adewale said.
Speaking further, the party chieftain, who disclosed that he was working on some legal steps to get things done to achieve his set goals without any violence or threats to peace around the secretariat that could lead to negative image, further disclosed that the only conditions shift position was for all groups in the party to agree on an elective congress as soon as possible or a court action stopping him from being the PDP chairman in the state.
“I am working on some legal steps to get things done and I do not want any violence or threats to peace around the secretariat. I don’t want anybody to call me names I don’t bear.
“The only conditions I will shift position is for all groups in the party to agree on an elective congress as soon as possible or a court action stopping me from being chairman. But as things are right now, I am the Lagos PDP Chairman, that is my position,” he said.
When contacted, Dominic, told the Tribune Online on the telephone that he remained the PDP chairman in Lagos, while Adewale was no longer a member of the party, having dumped PDP to contest Ekiti last governorship poll on the platform of Action Democratic Party (ADP).
The party chairman, while describing the claim by Otunba Adewale as arrant nonsense, said he had no issue with him, adding that the party national leadership knew much that he (Adewale) could not make any claim.
“That is arrant nonsense, the national secretariat of our party knows I am the chairman. I don’t want to discuss him, I don’t have an issue with him. He is not even a member of PDP.
“He is a member of ADP, he was their governorship candidate in Ekiti State. If he wants to be back to PDP, he has to rejoin our party. As far as I am concerned he is not a member of our party. If you want to know anything concerning, you have to talk to the National Secretariat of our party,” he said.