One of the leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state, Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan has warned the Oyo state Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde not to turn the party to his personal property for singlehandedly picking his choice of chairmanship candidate of the party in the southwest for the forthcoming Congress of the party in the region.
Olopoeniyan who is loyal to the faction of a former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose said the record of governor Makinde’s candidate, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja for the office does not qualify him to lead the party in South West.
Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan has said, he had made up his my long time ago to support and canvass for Eddy Olafeso for Southwest party chairmanship seat, even after a candidate has emerged from his state.
Olopoeyan made this known when asked if he is going to withdraw his alliance with Fayose’s caucus after his own state had unveiled a candidate to face Olafeso come March 6, at the zonal congress.
The politician said, he was not taught to betray people in politics, opined that, once he had pledged loyalty to Eddy Olafeso chairmanship struggle, then he will surely be with him till he finally won the position.
”Where I learnt politics, I was thought to be loyal and to always stick to agreement, the zonal stakeholders with governor Seyi Makinde made the agreement March 12, 2020, in Ibadan before Arapaja joined PDP that, Olafeso should return as Zonal chairman if things goes otherwise for him at Ondo PDP governorship primary election, it was an agreement, I didn’t know what made gov. Makinde to made a u-turn after the made agreement and he never explained to us, but me and other leaders from Oyo state had vowed to honor the gentleman agreement till end, even if they adopted my elder brother as their candidate, I, Bisi Olopoeyan will not support my own brother, it is Eddy or nothing.” he said.
Olopoeyan added that, thou, he is not interested in governor Makinde’s zonal Chairmanship candidates but ambassador Taofeek Arapaja was a wrong choice for Oyo governor’s faction.
He said Arapaja who recently rejoined the PDP has left defected to three political parties within the spate of six years that he left PDP. He decamped to Accord party in 2014, to APC in 2017 and later to ADC.
He explained further that for governor Makinde to have singlehandedly chosen a returnee who has not spent at least a year in the party to contest for a position, is a clear evidence that he is trying to turn PDP into his own private organization where he can make self decision without documented guiding principles.
”If governor Makinde had studied PDP constitution very well, he wouldn’t have chosen ambassador Arapaja as his faction’s zonal Chairmanship candidate. Arapaja is not yet qualify to hold a position in PDP, he came back to the party on March 19, 2020, we all welcome him and other defectors back to PDP after they had went to different political parties. Even welcoming him at Mapo rally was not effective for him to say that he had joined PDP officially. According to section 8a and b of the party Constitution (2017 as amended), it stated that, ( 8) *A person who desires to rejoin the party after leaving it shall : (a) Apply to his Ward Secretary for re-admission; and
also see:
(b) Unless given waiver by the National Working Committee, be placed on probation for a period of not less than one year.
“So, Arapaja only came to Mapo PDP rally on March 19, 2020, he rejoined PDP officially late last year. Am sure he didnt even wrote an application letter to the secretary of his ward in Ibadan Southeast, unless he is going to write it now and backdated it.
”If governor Makinde had consulted experienced party leaders, they will have suggested to him that, Arapaja from his own federal constituency Northeast, Southeast should be out of reasoning. Politics is about getting equal chances and opportunities. It is not proper to have a governor, senator, zonal chairman in the same federal constituency and if he had thought of that, that means he sees his own federal constituency as superior and no party members with rich profile from other constituencies.
“Imagine we have three senatorial in Oyo state, Oyo South, Oyo Central and Oyo North, how reasonable it is to centre all juicy position only in Oyo south ? What is the fate of other party members from other senatorial district?
“We had produced governor from Ibadan Northeast, Senator from Ibadan Northeast Northeast, Secretary to the State Government ( SSG ) from North east, commissioner for Local government and chieftaincy matter from North east, now picking zonal chairman from Ibadan Southeast also zonal women leader from Ibadan Southwest, everything 4 local government of Ibadan that added up Oyo south. Is there no qualified party members Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibarapa ? Are the party members in those not qualified and inconsequential members of Oyo PDP?
“If not that governor Seyi Makinde has interior motive for singlehandedly chosen Arapaja without widely consultation, I think his intention is to seized the structure of the party in southwest, so if tomorrow he want to dump the party, he will go with zonal chairman and some exco.
“Am sure if we allowed governor Makinde to have his way, his plan is get the party structure so as he can use it to disgrace the party at the southwest level if he decided to leave the party.
”It is a future plan, he want to installs his political followers so as to have get the party structure and begins to decide at his own will, if tomorrow he want to move out of PDP, his installed zonal chairman and exco will easily move with him, am saying this because Arapaja has always open to defection.
”If care is not taking, our governor will finally weaken PDP in southwest states for opposition to gain and regain power. It is high time governor Makinde separated state administration from party administration, you cant decide to run the two simultaneously with a good result.
Olopoeyan used the opportunity to urged National Working Committee ( NWC ) of the party led by Chief Secondus to rescue the party before governor Makinde and his cohorts start using self interest to ridicule the party and it constitution.
