The crisis rocking the Oyo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened today, as major stakeholders of the party failed to attend the peace meeting convened by former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
Insideoyo.com gathered that Engr. Seyi Makinde, a governorship aspirant and other top leaders in his camp boycotted the peace and reconciliatory meeting convened by the leader of the party at his Ondo Street, Bodija, Ibadan residence.
Recall that the party had been battling with leadership crisis since 2017 after factions loyal to both Ladoja and Makinde held separate congresses.
Also recall that insideoyo.com reports last week that the some party elders from the National secretariat were in Ibadan, to find lasting solution to the crisis where they urged Ladoja to accept everybody as his subjects as the leader of the party in the South West. The elders also urged Ladoja to convene the meeting of all major stakeholders of the party.
News reports have it that the decision of the stakeholders to boycott the peace meeting by the faction loyal to Makinde might not be unconnected with the refusal of Ladoja to hold the meeting outside his residence.
The Makinde led faction which has Senators Ayo Adeseun, Hosea Agboola, Hon. Adeola Akande-Adeola, Barr Gbolarumi Hazeem and host of others as members, it further learnt had given conditions for the attendance of the meeting.
“Ladoja, no doubt, is the indisputable leader of the party in the state. One of the conditions was that they were not going to attend any meeting in Ladoja’s Bodija residence.
‘’They wanted the party’s Molete secretariat or a neutral venue. Another one is that there should be a committee comprising representatives of major stakeholders who will design modalities for attendance of any meeting. These conditions were not met,” a source said.