A chieftain of Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Adewale also known as Aeroland, has expressed optimism that governorship poll is winnable for the party in the state once members can work to put the structure right, instil discipline, work as one entity and chase away those he described as saboteurs who have been working against the PDP interest since 1999.
Adewale, who was the party’s senatorial candidate for Lagos West in 2015, said this in a release made available to newsmen on Thursday, even as he cautioned national leadership of the party to as a matter of fact avoid these set of leaders, who he further described as interlopers and were in the habit of coming to PDP headquarters in Abuja to lobby, and telling all manners of lies, but without any capacity to deliver.
According to him, the party leadership must independently verify how the state chapter has run badly since 1999, saying that will give them the pointer to where the problems lay.
While maintaining that this set of people must be shown the way out, Adewale said: “For a fact, they are PDP in the morning, APC at night, we must flush them out of the system.”
“Let me say this again, Lagos State governorship is winnable for our party, PDP when we are able to get our structure right, instil discipline, and work as one entity and chase away those saboteurs who have been working against the interest of our party since 1999, for a fact they are PDP in the morning, APC at night, we must flush them out of the system.
“The national leadership of our party must, as a matter of fact, avoid these interlopers who jump on plane from within and outside PDP to come to lobby in Abuja, by telling all manners of lies, assuring them of feats they do not have the capacity to deliver, the party must independently verify how the state chapter has ran badly since 1999, because that will give them the pointer to where the problems lies,” the party chieftain said.
Besides, Adewale, who was at a time factional chairman of PDP in the state, argued that there was critical need for the party to build its structure based on 57 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) as against the present 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to enable it to match force with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which had long adopted such.
This was just as he canvassed the need to pacify and bring back into the fold party chieftain, including Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Dr Abayomi Fini, High Chief Owolabi Salis, among others, who had left the fold with nobody caring to find a way to manage and encourage them to remain before they left.
“One of the first steps of taking back this party from these hijackers is to rally all the genuine but dormant leaders together,” he said, even as he again reiterated a neutral Chairman must emerge in line with Section 47(6) of the PDP’s constitution, as the party, according to him, “is currently on autopilot.”
“As part of our effort to reposition the party, we would reach out to those who have left, and new people who want to bring their wealth of experience and other values to the PDP, we must get our house in order before the next poll,” Otunba Adewale further added.
Speaking further on the challenges currently facing the party in Lagos State, Adewale said the present crop of leaders at the helm of affairs do not understand that politics is a game of numbers, and, therefore, the reason “they don’t care if the party is empty.”
“It is a known fact that these destroyers don’t even come out on the day of election, they don’t mobilize people to go out to vote, they won’t do anything after receiving their largesse, it is our genuine party members that do go out to face the challenge and battle on the field.
“We must replace these people with committed and loyal members with zeal and passion for the party across local governments, young people must rise up in their various local governments and take charge, and step into leadership position,” he said.
“I am in politics because I believe I can make impact and influence change in the lives of the downtrodden, and help ameliorate the sufferings of the needy in the state, not because I want to enrich myself through a political process.
“I have spent billions of my own hard-earned money in PDP, I have received countless overtures from the ruling party, but I turned them down because my purpose is not to be in a comfortable party.
“There are millions of my supporters in PDP in Lagos and elsewhere who have worked hard and have continued to be on my side in this party, I must respect their loyalty, I must work hard to ensure that we deliver on our mission and vision in this party PDP.
“Lastly, I am not out to fight anybody, but will never allow those who want to destroy our hard work, shared destiny and the ideology of our great party PDP.
“There are several people like me who have also invested money, time, reputation in this great party but cannot dare to talk because of the fear of the unknown. We must give them a voice, we must make our party more attractive to both new members and the electorate, while some people are there just to rip off our work. Enough is now enough, they should back out peacefully or we help them get permanent retirement,” he vowed.