Leadership failure responsible for our defeat in Ondo – PDP youths

The youth wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state said the leadership of the party in the state largely responsible for the failure of the party at the just concluded presidential election of February 25.

The youths under the aegis of Council of Young Leaders in Peoples Democratic Party (CYLI-PDP) said the internal crisis within the party in the state led to the poor performance of the party in the Presidential election and the House of Assembly election in the state.

In a statement by the youth group, signed by its coordinator, Mr. Wande Ajayi, noted that the PDP as the main opposition party in the state has failed to challenge the recklessness of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Ajayi said the PDP under the present leadership in the state in the last two years has become an intrepid, weak, ineffectual and highly fragmented association of strange bedfellows, responsible for the failure of the party in the state.

He said: “The Council of Young Leaders in Peoples Democratic Party (CYLI-PDP) hereby expresses its deep sadness at the dismal and shameful performance of the Ondo state chapter of the party in the last Presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

“We are concerned that the PDP, which once served as the major opposition party to challenge the recklessness of the incumbent APC, has over the last two years become an intrepid, weak, ineffectual and highly fragmented association of strange bedfellows.

“We remain concerned that the state leadership has been unable to administer the party in such a way and manner as to achieve its primary purpose of winning elections.

“We have squandered our goodwill with the good people of Ondo state and have become a third-rated political party within a very short period of time.

“It is noteworthy to state, that the Ondo State PDP under it’s current leadership, has failed to improve over its successes in the 2019 national elections, but has fallen dramatically to a level where it now plays catch-up to other parties. Needless to say that the outcome of the last presidential election suffices as evidence”

The youth however, called on stakeholders at the state and national office of the party to come to the aid of the party in the state before the current leadership wreck the party in the state.

Ajayi warned that dismissing the issues and points raised by the PDP youths without looking into ways of resolving the crises will not only dangerous to the PDP but put the party in disarray in the state

“We would like to use this medium to call on critical stakeholders and the National Secretariat of the PDP, to consider immediate actions to help remedy the lack of clear purposeful and committed leadership we are saddled with currently in the Ondo state chapter.

“While we understand the need for a post mortem of the total failure of the party in the last elections, we must emphasize the need to have an immediate overhaul of the party machineries, to enable us ample time to deal with preparations for the forthcoming Gubernatorial elections in Ondo state.

“While not giving a deadline to those who have been found culpable in the dismal and disappointing performance of our party in the last election, we do advise that those who may be unwilling to yield the reins of leadership in the party to more competent and purposeful leadership, to consider their honor and concede to a rebuilding process for the party.

“Finally, while acknowledging the daunting task of rebuilding confidence amongst loyal party members ahead of party, we insist that the current leadership of the party should step aside and give room for an unbiased caretaker committee while investigations be conducted to ascertain allegations of culpability on their part in the loss we have all suffered” the statement said

End.