Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the three senatorial districts of Oyo State have warned the party’s national secretariat to stay clear of its internal affairs.
They also vowed to resist any form of imposition and impunity from the national secretariat.
The PDP leaders also passed a vote of confidence in the state’s executive of the party – from the wards to state level – under the chairmanship of Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha.
The party leaders from Oyo Central Senatorial District who passed the vote of confidence include Senator Ayoade Adeseun, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Chief Bisi Ilaka and Olasunkanmi Salami.
Others are: Asiwaju Adeyemi Aderibigbe, D. A. Lawal, Oladepo Oyedokun, Abiola Olaniyan, Matthew Abioye and Moruf Akinwande, among others.
A statement at the weekend in Ibadan, the state capital, by PDP’s State Publicity Secretary Akeem Olatunji, said the party leaders also affirmed former Governor Rashidi Ladoja as the party’s leader in the state.
The statement said the PDP leaders rose from their senatorial district meetings in Oyo South, Oyo North and Oyo Central, declaring that they would leave the party en mass, if PDP’s national leadership tampered with the state executive.
The statement reads: “Consequent upon the meeting of the Oyo Central, Oyo North and Oyo South senatorial districts, the meeting came up with the following resolutions.
“The party members and leadership in the three senatorial districts completely throw their weight behind the leadership of the party in Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, in his fight against imposition and impunity of whatever forms within the party.
“We dissociate ourselves from the sentiments expressed by a politician, as published in Nigerian Tribune with the headline: Ladoja Cannot Intimidate Oyo PDP. The self-acclaimed leader did not speak the minds of teeming PDP members in Oyo Central Senatorial District.
“We re-affirm our support and belief in the stewardship of all members of the State Executive Committee of the party as it presently constituted under the leadership of Omokunmi Mustapha as the Chairman.
“We associate completely with the position of the leader of our party in the state that all forms of imposition and impunity hereby rejected and should not be tolerated, no matter how little.
“Anything contrary to this will be vehemently rejected. Nevertheless, the meeting pleaded with all and sundry who are still nursing grievances as a result of the last state congresses to bury their hatchet and join the progressive train in order for all of us to ferry together to the Government House in 2019.”
