Makinde’ll help re-organise, bring peace to Lagos PDP ― Ex-chairman, Segun Adewale

Former Chairman, Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Adewale, has lauded South-West leaders of the party over decisions reached in their recent meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, expressing hope that Governor Seyi Makinde would help re-organise and bring peace to PDP in Lagos.

Adewale popularly known as Aeroland said this, on Sunday, in a statement made available to newsmen, recalling that prolonged internal crisis had continued to prevent the party from having good outings for a very long time in Lagos State politics, but quickly said the party chapter cannot afford to miss the reconciliatory process the governor had so far initiated.

This was just as the party chieftain, who was PDP senatorial candidate for Lagos West in 2015, urged members and leaders to at this point in time turn away from those who wanted to make matter worse, saying their activities around Lagos PDP was becoming very suspicious.

“At this point, we must all turn away from those who want to make our matter worse, as their activities around Lagos PDP is becoming very suspicious,” Adewale said.

“It is our wish, as an accommodating party, that those fomenting trouble should reflect and have a rethink, for the sake of the party’s progress,” he added.

Adewale lauded the South-West PDP leaders for various initiatives that were taken at the Ibadan parley, including setting up a reconciliation committee, and sharing the zonal positions amongst the six states in the zone in a fair and just manner, saying “all these were aimed at fostering and deepening the peace the party had been enjoying since Makinde became governor and leader of our zone.”

Adewale said all party leaders and members right down to the local level were more than ready to meet with the governor, adding: “We cannot afford to miss the reconciliatory process the governor has initiated.”

“For us in Lagos, we are eagerly waiting for the time the governor will come and speak to our teaming members and leaders because there is nothing we have gained from fighting one another over the years.

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“We want the governor to quickly intervene, as his interventions are needed because as the number one PDP leader from our region, who also has the power and authority to oversee all the states in South-West, we will continue to give him all the respect and support he deserves,” he said.

Speaking further, the party chieftain declared further that PDP was capable of winning Lagos State, come 2023 election, disclosing that dialogue had since commenced between the party and “members who left for other parties to come back home.”

“We will also initiate a process of liquidating other political parties into PDP, to enable us to build a formidable structure in all the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs in Lagos so that our party can become a launching pad for the 2023 elections.

“PDP is a youth-friendly political party, we will use the opportunity of our membership drive, to attract more youths and give them chance in our elective and appointive positions in the 2023 elections.

“Nothing is wrong if we decide to field a new face who is young, smart, intelligent and have carriage of being a governor in Lagos 2023, this I believe can add more advantage to us, than fielding regular faces, that once they come out, Lagosians will see it as business as usual,” Adewale stated.

Adewale, while positing that majority of Lagosians loved to be part of PDP and, therefore, the need for members to first put their house in order to make the party more attractive to new members, maintained that the party as a responsible platform cannot turn it’s deaf ears to the agitations of Nigerian youths, arising from the recent nationwide #EndSars protests.

According to him, what the youth had been echoing with the protest was the demand for youth leadership and a signal that they no longer wanted to have anything to do with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the party’s lack of empathy and innovative leadership, declaring it was the duty of PDP to properly guide them into leadership positions.

“As a responsible party, we cannot turn our deaf ears to their (youth) agitations arising from the nationwide #EndSars protests. As we know, they have all been echoing and demanding for youth leadership.

“We can clearly see, they no longer want to have anything to do with the ruling APC because of their lack of empathy and innovative leadership, but it is our responsibility to properly guide them into leadership positions,” Adewale said.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE