A former Minister of Mines and Power and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State, Elder Wole Oyelese, on Wednesday told a former governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, that he could not intimidate the party by threatening to dump the PDP.
Oyelese was reacting to Ladoja’s threat to leave the PDP because of impunity and disagreement over the party’s executive in the state.
In a statement signed by the former minister, Oyelese expressed sadness over Ladoja’s position, saying he could not intimidate the party.
According to him, it is unfortunate that bad history keeps repeating itself in the state chapter of the PDP at a time when the masses are looking up to the party “to rescue the state from the clueless administration of the All Progressives Congress.”
He said, “It is unfortunate that this is happening at a time when the teeming masses are looking up to the party, irrespective of party affiliation to liberate them from the clueless administration and gruesome misrule of the APC in the state. It is sad that an individual would now decide to start to threaten the party with his exit unless things are done his way as if the 2019 electoral fortunes of the party solely depend on him.”
The former minister described Ladoja’s position as an empty threat, while also calling on the national leadership of the party not to be disturbed by the possibility of losing the former governor.
“They should not be bothered by the current threat as it may after all be a great blessing. If Ladoja is prepared to be part of the collective leadership arrangement that would be put in place and which will by the grace of God resolve all outstanding issues, then he is still welcome in the PDP. However, any attempt by him to lord it over the party and major stakeholders will definitely not work.
“It is common knowledge in Oyo State that the overbearing attitude of Ladoja led to the refusal of former governor Adebayo Alao-Akala to rejoin the PDP. It was also responsible for the exit of Dele Adigun who had earlier joined the PDP through my intervention. One wonders what it will take Ladoja to take a critical look at his political style which also led to the decimation of the Accord Party,” he added.
While warning Ladoja on the possible consequence of his position, Oyelese said the former governor was about to learn a bitter lesson of his political life if he decided to leave the PDP because the parameters that helped him in 2011 were no more existing.
“One would have thought that the experience of 2015 when a lame duck governorship candidate was wickedly foisted on the Oyo State PDP was enough lesson for everybody. Some people at that time insisted on having the party their way instead of listening to well-meaning party leaders who were on the ground in the state. The rest as they say is now history. The party cheaply gave the state to the APC in an election we had no business losing. Now, unfortunately we are at it again in another form,” Oyelese warned.
