2023: Protesters Allege Plan to Impose Delegates on Ogun PDP

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Citing planned imposition of delegates ahead forthcoming of primaries, some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ogun State, yesterday stormed the State Secretariat of the party, decrying move to manipulate the list of delegates.

The protesters, who carried placards of various inscriptions condemning an alleged moves by an aspirant in connivance with the National Working Committee

(NWC),  to manipulate the ward ad-hoc delegates list.

Some of the placards read:  ‘ Iyochia Ayu, Save Ogun PDP from Autocracy;  ‘Election Rigging is Worst Than Armed Robbery; Recognised Elections Monitored by INEC;  No INEC, No Election; Enough of Imposition in Ogun PDP, and ‘Ogun PDP, not an arm of Baba Ijebu, among others.

Addressing newsmen, Idris Taiwo Olabode, who is a member of the party, alleged that the National Working Committee (NWC) in connivance with an aspirant was trying to throw away a duly monitored election across the 20 LGAs, while imposing the delegates loyal to the aspirant.

Olabode also noted that the implications is that the party was being streamlined to favour just an aspirant at the forthcoming governorship primaries, adding that it is a dangerous trend which will work against the party in the general elections, hence the protest.

He said: “On Saturday, delegates elections were held in all the 20 Local Government Areas of Ogun State, but the NWC from Abuja, accepted the results of the local governments, whose chairmen, were loyal to an aspirant and disregarded the remaining.

“It’s a case where the leadership of the party is unfair and unjust. It is very dangerous for the party.

” It means the NWC are trying to disregard an election duly monitored by INEC, and trying to  announce the results of a small group of people, who in any case did not hold any congress. If they held any congress, let them provide a video evidence.

“But there is group who held a Congress, duly monitored by INEC, DSS, The Police and the Civil Defense. There is pictoral and video evidences for this.

“The implications is the is trying to impose  unpopular delegates over popular delegates. How can a single man select over 40 elective posts in the party.

“He is trying to impose delegates in all the local government for his selfish purpose. This is uncalled for.”

The protesters, however, called on the State Exco, led by Sikirulai Ogundele to, as a matter of urgency, look into the matter, stating that the issue if not properly managed may spell doom for the party at the general elections in 2023.

“The  Exco is doing something about this I am being told, he has issued a letter in this regard. But the State Working Committee, represented by Omooba Sunday Solarin are working in collaboration with the NWC to carry out this act, which we will resist.

“So, we are calling on them to accept our mandate. The results of all the Local Government areas must be accepted, our candidates must be announced to the whole world,” he noted.