A former Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Hosea Agboola, has disclosed that former governors Rashidi Ladoja, Adebayo Alao-Akala as well as Mr Seyi Makinde will soon return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State.
Agboola, who represented Oyo North between 2011 and 2015, made the disclosure in Ibadan, the state capital, on Thursday, at a peace parley where the harmonisation of all the factions in the state chapter of PDP topped the agenda.
He also stressed that there was nothing like a caretaker committee in the state because there was no congress held to put such arrangement in place, adding that the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee had made that clear at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held within the week.
At the meeting were Chief Jacob Adetoro; Jimoh Afees; Demola Ojo; Wasiu Adeleke, who represented Makinde, Alhaji Yinka Taiwo, the immediate past state chairman of the party; Adeniyi Farinto; Michael Okunlade; Jelili Adeleke; Adebisi Olopoenia; Funmi Orisadeyi; among others.
While Ladoja left PDP in 2010 in the wake of the leadership tussle that engulfed the party over the 2011 governorship ticket, Alao-Akala and Makinde dumped the umbrella party for the same reason in 2014 and joined Labour Party (LP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) respectively.
But Agboola said PDP leaders at the national and state levels were already discussing with the trio, adding that commitment to rejoin PDP and join hands with other to rebuild it into a strong brand had been extracted from them.
“As far as we are concerned, Makinde is more or less in PDP. He met with national officers and said he was back in PDP. We met with Ladoja and he told us he is coming to PDP. Our people are also talking to Alao-Akala, who has assured them he will come back too.
“Across the state, reconciliation is ongoing and even across the country and PDP is going to win the central government and also take back the state government in 2019. Our national leaders are also discussing with Ladoja and Alao-Akala and they have promised that they will come back to PDP and I believe they will join us,” he said.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on telephone, Ladoja confirmed that PDP national leadership as well as leaders in the state were asking him to come and lead the party in the state.
“Makarfi has called me, just as Senator Ben Obi has also done. The leaders in the state have also met with me. They want us to do the kind of coalition that gave PDP victory in the 2003 governorship election in the state.
“I have told those in the state to go and discuss among themselves and bring whatever they agree at to us for discussion. If it is the wish of their people that we should work together, we are ready.
“As Accord, we are also talking to other people. Just recently, former presidential spokesperson, Dr Doyin Okupe, declared for Accord and there are many more that have promised to join us. We are open to such discussion,” he said
Also, Alao-Akala confirmed that although PDP national leaders were in talks with him and discussing his return to the party, he remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“The fact that they are talking to me does not mean I have rejoined them. As of today, I am a member of the APC,” he said.
Makinde, who spoke through his aide, Akeem Azeez, confirmed that he sent a representative to the meeting convened by Agboola with the mandate to observe proceedings.
“Makinde is not back in PDP. But we are holding meetings with all major parties including PDP,” Azeez
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