Imoke, INEC officials, caretaker committee in attendance as Oyo PDP holds state congress

Former governor of Cross River State, Mr Liyel Imoke and four other members of the Congress Committee appointed by the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), members of the Oyo State PDP caretaker committee led by Rt. Honourable Tunde Akogun, on Saturday, conducted the Oyo State congress of the party, held at the Watershed Event Centre, Ibadan.

The exercise was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The congress produced Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha, as the state chairman, while Honourable Wasiu Emiola, Mrs Wulemot Wunmi, Mr Kola Adeoye and Mr Akeem Olatunji, emerged as the secretary, woman leader, youth leader and publicity secretary, respectively.

Senators Gbenga Babalola, Olufemi Lanlehin and Ayoade Adeseun; former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Jumoke Akinjide; former deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Hameed Gbadamosi; Dr Saka Balogun, Elder Wole Oyelese and Chief Sarafadeen Ali, among other PDP stalwarts, attended the congress.

Other members of the PDP congress committee at the congress included the secretary of the committee, Chief Peter Orji; Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo and Dr Harry Oranezi.

The exercise, which was slated for 10 a.m. and delayed for many hours following efforts by leaders of the party to achieve a common ground over who would become the state chairman, eventually started around 5p.m., with the delegates from the 33 local governments of the state queuing up to cast their votes for candidates.

Sources informed Sunday Tribune that a meeting held at the Ondo Street, Ibadan house of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja until 2 a.m. on Saturday, failed to broker a truce between the two camps, a development that warranted another long meeting with the Imoke-led congress committee.

Speaking on the development that led to the delay of the congress, the caretaker chairman of the party in the state, Akogun, apologised to delegates noting that they had to “wait that long to carry everyone along and to ensure that the party does not lose anyone,” adding that anyone that was not at the Watershed Event Centre venue of the congress, which had in attendance “noble people from the national headquarters of the party, who cannot be compromised,” should not be considered lost.

The secretary of the congress committee, Chief Orji had stressed that the congress would be organised in a democratic and transparent manner, citing portions of the party’s constitution on the conduct of state congress and giving guidelines on voting, with delegates from all the local governments then going ahead to elect the new set of state executives of the party.

In his acceptance speech after defeating other contenders, including Chief Jacob Adetoro, who boycotted the congress to emerge as factional chairman at a parallel congress organised at the Baptist Secondary School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Alhaji Mustapha said he was prepared to reposition the party in the state, adding that under his leadership, Oyo PDP would attain greater heights and win in all elections.

Noting that the future of the PDP would be written in gold, Mustapha promised to foster unity and ensure that the “PDP is fully back to set standards,” adding that “we must revive and rejuvenate our already eroded traditional values.”

In another development, however, a parallel congress organised at the Baptist Secondary School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, produced Chief Adetoro as the factional state chairman of the party, with two other key officers emerging in the congress, which followed a deadlocked meeting of the leaders with the congress committee chaired by Imoke and reportedly held at the Town House Hotel, NTC road, Ibadan.

The other officers produced at the parallel congress, which, according to officials was attended by 750 accredited delegates, were Mr Segun Ogunlade (vice chairman) and Mr Wasiu Adeleke (secretary).

Leaders of the party at the parallel congress included Mr Seyi Makinde; Senator Hosea Agboola; Honourable Mulikat Akande-Adeola; Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi; Mr Dare Adeleke and Alhaja Bose Adedibu, among others.

Speaking after he was sworn-in, Chief Adetoro appealed to all stakeholders not to jeopardise the reconciliatory move aimed at repositioning the party for victory at the 2019 polls in the state.

While speaking with journalists, Makinde said “we’re here to elect the state executive members who will usher in a PDP administration in Agodi government house in 2019. There is no crisis whatsoever, this is what we call politics and we have all agreed to resolve all issues, work together to win Oyo state for PDP in 2019.”