PDP NWC to dissolve Ondo exco, accommodate Mimiko’s loyalists

A fresh political crisis is looming in the Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over an alleged plot to dissolve the party executives from the ward to the state level to accommodate some new members who recently joined the party.

A source within the party told Nigerian Tribune that the moves are to give room for the new entrants to thrive in the party and to give them a sense of belonging.

He explained that the alleged plan to dissolve the state executives of the party was the first assignment expected to be carried out by the new National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator Iyorchia Ayu immediately after its takes over the affairs of the party.

According to him, a caretaker committee may likely be led by some of Mimiko’s loyalists who joined the party a few weeks ago pending the time the party conducts a fresh congress in the state.

It was gathered that the dissolution of the Ondo PDP exco was the highlight of a meeting between Mimiko and the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, in Portharcourt during the former governor’s visit to Rivers State.

It will be recalled that Mimiko, before officially announcing his defection, met behind closed doors with four PDP governors led by the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal in Ondo town.

Other governors who were in the meeting include Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; Governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.

A reliable source within the PDP camp in the state disclosed that at the meeting, Mimiko got the nod of these PDP governors to push for the dissolution of the current PDP state executives from the ward to the state level.

It was gathered that both Wike and Tambuwal, who are allegedly nursing a presidential ambition as a running mate and presidential candidate respectively in the 2023 general elections, were the ones pushing for Mimiko to take over the structure of the party in the state.

The current PDP executive led by its State Chairman, Hon Fatai Adams is believed to have been put in place and is loyal to the party former governorship candidate, Mr Eyitayo Jegede.

It was learnt that Jegede is one of the core loyalists of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and who is also re-strategizing on how to put his political structures in place ahead of the 2023 general elections.

A PDP chieftain, who spoke in confidence, revealed that “PDP governors deliberately distanced themselves from Jegede’s campaign during the last governorship election in Ondo State just because of his attachment to Atiku project. He was the state coordinator for Atiku during the 2019 presidential election.

“These governors are only threatened and they believed that supporting Jegede to become a governor would only be a plus to the presidential ambition of Atiku, hence, they decided to give an eyeservice.

“We are keenly monitoring Mimiko’s movements, particularly his romance with these two governors, Wike and Tambuwal who believe they own the party.

“We are aware of this grand plot to dissolve Fatai Adams-led executive immediately the National Working Committee of the party officially takes over the affairs of the party and we are battle-ready to fight these two governors and their emissaries legally.

“Mimiko, after he dumped our party (PDP) in 2018 to return to Labour Party (LP) and later ZLP, left the party shattered. We rebuilt the party from the scratch.

“During the 2019 National Assembly election, our party did excellently well by producing two senators out of the three and three House of Representatives lawmakers. Even Mimiko who participated in the poll as the Ondo central senatorial candidate of ZLP came third.

“In Ondo PDP, Mimiko must wait for his time. We are aware that he was in Rivers State recently on Wike’s invitation to commission a project. No amount of project commissioning in Rivers State by Mimiko will change the already established political structure in Ondo State.”

But denying plans to change the present party exco, the State Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei, said he was not aware of such a move to dissolve the party leadership in the state.

Peretei said “I am not aware of such. The present executive in the state are elected on a four-year term and we have not spent two years and that is the position of the law. This is not true, it’s a beer parlour talk.”

It will be recalled that former governor of the state, Mimiko with the former ZLP governorship candidate in the 2020 governorship election in the state, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, former Ondo State Speaker, Jumoke Akindele and among others officially rejoined PDP a week to the October 30, National Convention of the party.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.