My purpose for this communiqué is to put what I know on record regarding the political tension currently existing in the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party.
The political climate is getting more corrosive by the day, and our members are not sure what to believe and who to hold responsible for the growing rift. I have decided to speak up because fortunately or unfortunately destiny has placed me in a position of access to many aspects of the drama.
In most instances you position yourself as the victim of a witch hunt, and defender of the interest of PDP Lagos. People tend to believe you because as Party Chairman, it is assumed that you will always speak and act in the best interest of the Party.
By truthfully laying out the facts as I see them, I hope to show that contrary to being the victim, you are indeed the aggressor. And instead of leading the PDP toward unification and progress, you have systematically undermined the party.
You have applied the ignoble divide and conquer tactics to turn LGA Chairman against LGA Chairman, and Exco Member against Exco Member. This atmosphere of anomie has entered the general membership, and our party is rapidly heading toward disintegration under your leadership !
Allow me to enumerate :
(1) AUTOCRATIC TENDENCIES.
A general complaint from members of your Executive Committee is that you never consider other people’s advice. You take decisions without consultation, and you act on your own while claiming to represent the party.
In essence you equate yourself with the entire party. It is for these reasons that most of the State Executive Members are no longer with you, and those who supported and sponsored your election have abandoned your side. I can attest to this tendency of yours to avoid working with others.
You will recall that I came to you as a peace envoy the week after your election. I told you that upon pleading with Chief Bode George, he had agreed not to appeal any court judgment which may confirm your election as State Chairman. You will recall that you obstinately refused to go and thank Chief Bode George for what I thought though small was nonetheless a gesture toward reconciliation. I was not pleased with your reaction, but agreed with your suggestion to help you reposition the party and improve its image.
You said you would get in touch with me within a week or two in order to begin our collaboration for the growth of the party. When I didn’t hear from you after six weeks, l decided to reach out to you. I telephoned you at least five times but you never picked my calls.
On January 21st 2020, I coordinated a National Conference on Restructuring the Nigerian Federation at The University of Lagos, and invited you as a Special Guest. You did not acknowledge the invitation, you never attended the event and you did not send a representative. I was to find out later that your rejection of my assistance was because you saw me as a Bode George man, and as such, you were not sure of my allegiance to you.
(2) LETHARGIC LEADERSHIP.
Since you became State Chairman, you have failed to convene either a State Executive Meeting, or a State Working Committee Meeting.
You have never toured the Local Government Areas, and no Ward Chairman has ever seen you. You have failed to establish Committees, or State Caucuses, as such party members have had no involvement, or interaction with your administration.
To make things worse, you have deepened your isolation from party members by diverting party meetings from the Party Secretariat to your personal property, at 10 Degrees Event Center.
(3) MISINFORMATION AND MISREPRESENTATION.
The recent development at Inter Party Advisory Council, (IPAC) is an example of how you muddle the waters and misinform members for your own edification. You sent out a tweet claiming that the party State Secretary undermined PDP’s opportunity to obtain a good position on the IPAC Board. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth of the matter is that if the Secretary had not acted, PDP will have no representation at IPAC.
You knew that IPAC had been instructed by INEC as a policy not to deal with you, but to work with the Party’s State Secretary while your Chairmanship is being challenged in court.
Your pronouncement on this matter was disingenuous . It was a calculated lie, meant to misinform and confuse.
(4) PERSONAL INTEREST OVER PARTY INTEREST.
It has become evident that your personal relationship with Ayo Fayose, the former governor of Ekiti State is clouding your judgement in dealing with issues pertaining to Lagos State PDP interest in South West geopolitical zone.
By pitching your tent with Fayose you are jeopardizing Lagos State PDP opportunities in the South West because Fayose has neither the influence, nor the funds or the credibility to help us in Lagos.
Former governor Fayose is a man who has declared several times that though he will not defect to APC, the National Leader of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is indeed his leader. Fayose is currently unemployed, and whatever funds he may have starched away as governor is with EFCC. Is it not logical that Fayose has to stand by APC in order for the APC controlled EFCC to take it easy on him?
Your loyalty to Fayose, a lifelong friend may be admirable, but how does that help Lagos State PDP?
It is your democratic right to support the Fayose faction against Governor Seyi Makinde’s interest in the struggle for control of South West , but you have failed to disagree without being disagreeable. You have also failed to apply logical thinking. Makinde is the only Governor PDP has in the zone. He has funds and influence with which he can build Lagos State PDP. The petitions you signed accusing Governor Makinde of interfering in the affairs of states outside of his own state is foolhardy, false, and malicious.
Governor Makinde did everything to help you out of your entanglement in Lagos. He appealed to Chief Bode George to withdraw the court case against you. Chief Bode George agreed to do so, but within a week of this peace settlement you signed another petition against Governor Makinde and Chief Bode George.
On the basis of your nefarious behavior, the National officers of our great party must regard you as ‘persona non gratia’, and all the members of the party in Lagos must see you for what you really are, a trouble maker, a self centered individual and a divisive element.
The only place you can lead the PDP in Lagos is into a ditch. All well meaning members should be determined to prevent this from happening.
Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, Public Affairs Analyst, PDP Stakeholder. (Lagos, 26th January, 2021)