PDP Leaders sacked Agagu and Dairo, dissolves state exco
*Constitute a 9-man interim committee.
*Abdusalam,Ehinlanwo,EddyOlafeso,Arohunmolase,kekemeke,Alasoaduratakes over party
The crisis rocking the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worsened yesterday as a faction of the party, under the auspices of Leaders and Stakeholders, suspended the immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, from the party.
Also, the members dissolved the Dr. Omotayo Dairo-led State Executive Council and resolved to constitute a nine-man interim management committee to harmonise all factions and tendencies in the party.
Besides, the members rejected the suspension of members of the party and the list of 10 names compiled for federal appointments allegedly by Agagu and Dairo.
This development came as the Chairman of the party in Akoko Northwest; Prince Alaba Arohunmolashe, said the compilation of the 10 names as nominees to President Goodluck Jonathan would not stay because the Minister of Defence, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), who is the highest political office holder of the party in the state, was not carried along.
Arohunmolase said the action of the dissolved Dairo-led executive would not stand because it did not enjoy the support of the majority of the party supporters in the state.
Among the leaders and stakeholders that witnessed the press conference addressed at the Press Centre of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), were the immediate past Speaker of the House of Assembly, Taofiq Olawale Abdusalam, incumbent Senator representing Ondo South, Senator Hosea Ehinlanwo, former commissioners under Agagu’s government including Dr Eddy Olafeso, Isaacs Kekemeke, and Chief Tayo Alasoadura.
Others included former Chairmen of local governments; Chief Adebanbo Odoro, Charles Adeduro, Mrs Yejide Ogundipe and Stephen Olemija.
Serving legislators of the party including Fatai Adams and Princess Caroline Olubimtan were at the briefing. Former office and incumbent office holders including Chief Bamidele Adeladun, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, Demola Babalola, Akin Aruwajoye, Dr Bode Iwaloye, Dr Patrick Gbakinro and Col Tunde Awodeyi (rtd) were also present.
Briefing reporters of behalf of others, a former Special Adviser on Political Matters to Agagu, Chief Segun Adegoke, said although the decision was painful, it had to be taken in the interest of the party.
He said Agagu, as the leader, was suspended because he led the party to inexplicable and inexcusable electoral failure and for accentuating the unending crisis in the party, saying the decision had brought the party to its comatose state.
Adegoke said the stakeholders adopted the doctrine of necessity because prominent members of the party had left for other political parties due to the alleged mismanagement on the party by Agagu and Dairo.
His words: The leaders and stakeholders resolved to dissolve the state executive committee of the party in Ondo State and will set up a panel to investigate the finances of the party since February, 2009 including the over N30 million contributed by party members for the building of the state secretariat, the N10 million donated by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and all monies for the various elections in the state.
The leaders and stakeholders reject the suspension of the party members from the party without hearing and/or due process and urge the interim management committee to review all such cases. A party that is losing needs people, not fewer people.
The party leaders said it would be wrong and politically suicidal to allow the Dairo-led executive that had led the party to five electoral failures to continue in office and compound the woes of the party.
In his reaction, Dairo said the people, who were spent forces in their local government areas lacked locus standi to proclaim the state executive dissolved or to suspend any member of the party.
According to him, the list being complained about was complied with due process by the State Working Committee (SWC) and 15 leaders of the party across the state.
His words: These leaders are spent forces in their constituencies. As far as we are concerned, they are not known to our party, they are not known to the constitution because they are ex-this, ex-that, we want them to know that this is not an obaship institution where once you assume the leader, you are there for life, their local government areas have produced vibrant young men that have displaced many of these people.
These people now have no direct means of livelihood and that is why you see them becoming political jobbers. Hon Isaacs Kekemeke was a party secretary here before settling for political appointment, Col Awodeyi was Chairman and many of them like that but they have lost touch with the reality on ground now which is for them to agree that the past should remain the past.
The party chairman accused the Minister of Defence, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, of masterminding the uproar in the party, saying: Unfortunately, the Minister found good use of these idle hands who have nowhere to go, no offices to run and no serious means of livelihood, he found ready tools in them and he doled some little to them and that is the result we are seeing now.
Since these people are not members of the ward executive, local government executives and state executive, they are not known to the national secretariat anymore and whatever they do remains null and void, so we are not bothered.
The PDP chairman laid the blame of the loss of the party at the elections conducted in the state since 2009 at the doorstep of many members of the group of stakeholders, noting that for example, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, a shining light within the team, was largely responsible for the political problems the party faced in Akure South Local Government due to his high handedness.
We understand they have served us before, but we appeal to them not to visit their frustrations on us because this frustration is out of poverty.
Similarly, the deputy governor under the Agagu administration and one of the nominees, Chief Omolade Oluwateru, said the leaders and stakeholders had no right to suspend anybody from the party, adding that the list being contested was compiled with input from the SWC and some leaders of the party.
His words: They said they are dissolving the exco and who are they, what are their positions in the party? There are ways of doing this, the executive council was constituted by a congress and it is only the congress that can dissolve the executive. So, it is very wrong for a handful set of people to hire people and pronounce the exco dissolved.
Besides, Chief Supo Ijabadeniyi, a leader of the party said the decision would not stand because of the illegality of their action.
According to him, those who took the decision were on their way to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and they wanted to destroy the party before the left.
