MORE facts emerged at the weekend on why leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resolved to retain the current zonal executives of the party at a meeting held on December 17 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The meeting, hosted by Governor Seyi Makinde, was attended by the elders of the party and members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party from the South-West.
A member of the board, Dr Olu Alabi, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, said the leaders decided to allow the status quo to subsist in the interest of harmony and progress of the PDP.
He said the initial agenda of the meeting included the conduct of an election to choose a new set of members of the zonal executive of the PDP, as well as, nomination of representatives of the states into the BoT as the members have only a two-year tenure.
The Third Republic senator said the leaders resolved to put the matters in abeyance so as not to cause disaffection that could erode the gains of the party in the last two years under the current zonal leadership.
The PDP elder added that he is not aware that the acting national chairman of the party, Umar Damagum was making moves to replace members of the existing BoT of the PDP.
“I have not received any notice or letter in respect of such plan. However, he has no right to exercise such power. BoT members are elected or nominated from each state,” Alabi emphasised.
“We had a South-West meeting of the PDP in Ibadan, Oyo State, last week to discuss issues concerning the affairs of the party in the zone. The zonal PDP executive has completed its tenure. We ought to conduct another election into the South-West zonal executive.
“Because we don’t want disaffection, we all decided that the status quo should remain, though there has not been a chairman that spent two terms. This will be the first time. The South-West zonal chairman, Barrister Kamorudeen Ajisafe was not able to attend the meeting; we resolved that the status quo has to remain. The issues we were to discuss were the election into the South-West executive and then, nomination of representatives in the BoT.
“The plan to nominate BoT members was because some members have joined other political parties. For example, in Osun State, some members of the BoT have crossed to other parties. A hitherto Bot member, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, is now in the All Progressives Congress (APC); a former deputy governor of the state, Erelu Olusola Obada is currently in London; she has not been around. I think that is how the vacancies exist across the board,” Alabi explained.
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