The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Reconciliation Committee and Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson, on Thursday, visited Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State as part of moves to reconcile aggrieved party members in the state.
It was also the opportunity he needed to unofficially hand over the party in the state to former Accord Party leader and ex-governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
Dickson gleefully told his audience that the PDP would do well in coming elections with a former governor and leader of the party in Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, as grandmaster.
Dickson spoke after a closed-door meeting with Ladoja at his Ondo Street residence in Bodija, which was also attended by other members of the committee, including the Board of Trustees chairman of the party, Ambassador Aminu Wali, Senator Abdullah Ningi, John Odey, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and others.
Also accompanying the committee were the zonal leadership of the party led by its chairman, Dr Eddy Olafeso, members of the National Working Committee of the party, including its national publicity secretary and his deputy, Kola Ologbodiyan and Diran Odeyemi respectively and others.
He disclosed that Ladoja, who was an aspirant to the national chairmanship seat of the party, had assured the PDP leadership that he would mobilise other leaders in the region for the success of the party in the South-West and at the national level.
The governor said there was nobody in PDP who did not know that “where Ladoja goes determines where Oyo State goes”, commending him for returning to the party cofounded with others and “nurtured to victory and prominence.”
The chairman described as propaganda, insinuations in certain quarters that the South-West had been relegated with the loss of the national chairmanship position, assuring leaders in the region that the zone would continue to occupy a pride of place in PDP and in all the calculations the party would have moving forward.
He explained that the purpose of the visit was to address “some concerns and issues” that came to the fore in the aftermath of the party’s national convention.
“Our country is at a crossroads, in very difficult and trying times. These are times that we need the guidance and wise counsel of leaders like Ladoja across the country.
“We had a very fruitful and robust discussion. It is reassuring that Ladoja, the leader of men we have always known, is available to continue to play that leadership role for our party and for the service of our country. He is not only the leader in Oyo State; he is a key pillar of PDP in South-West and Nigeria as a whole.
“We discussed other issues on how we can address some concerns and issues on how the party can be best repositioned to work for a better Nigeria. He has assured us that having a Nigeria that works for all is the reason he is in politics.
“Nothing that is a product of human hand is ever perfect. That is a fact of life and affairs of a political party are not an exception. That is part of why we are here in Ibadan. By the way, politics is the art of managing conflicting interests and resolving issues.
“Here is Oyo State and in the South-West, we have a grandmaster who has seen it all as a former governor, Senator. We know that in his hands, the fate of the PDP in Oyo and South-West is safe. In his hands and with him mobilising and galvanising other leaders and the followership and the people of the South-West, the zone will continue to occupy its pride of place in the PDP.
In his remarks, Ladoja, who commended the committee which he said was being led by a straightforward governor, assured Governor Dickson that all the aspirants who lost out in the power play for the national chairmanship position would remain in the PDP.
The former governor said he and other aspirants had held discussions after the convention and had secured firm assurances from them that they would remain in the party.
“In Nigeria today, APC is not an option. If you are talking of getting power lift Nigerians out of poverty, serve them, it is those of us in PDP who are going to do that.
“You would have observed that something dramatic happened at the convention when aspirants from the South-West picked a consensus candidate in Professor Tunde Adeniran.
“Since the convention, those of us from the South-West have been talking and all of us are remaining in the PDP,” he said.
Earlier, a member of the committee, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide said the new national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus had assured the committee that the old order of people bringing issues to the national headquarters to distract the NWC had gone.
“The committee met with the new national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and the new NWC. He spoke at length and passionately about how he has come in as a servant-leader, how the old order will change under his leadership, no imposition of candidates, and no impunity.
“He also spoke about how he is going to devolve power to empower the state and zonal leaders and how whatever is decided by the leadership at the state is not going to be changed at the national headquarters.
“It is important that we give this message because I know this is what bothers people in Oyo and other states. What people can’t win in the state, they will go to Wadata Plaza and misrepresent to get and then this causes disaffection.
“We can’t deny Secondus’ experience in party administration, starting from the defunct Nigerian Peoples Party (NPN), the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) and then to the PDP. He has occupied position
“He told us he has seen that bringing problems from the states to the headquarters does not let the NWC do its real job which is to strategise and to lead the party to confront the government in power. So, they don’t want that distraction and he has said we should convey that message everywhere we go that it is not going to be business as usual.
“We are John the Baptist, the forerunner. He himself [Secondus] is also going to follow once the ground had been wet and broken by us. He and the NWC will follow through on this. I think it is important to give them that benefit of the doubt and support them.
“Oyo is a PDP state and we shall reclaim Oyo in 2019 by the grace of God. We are here to plead that you should not retreat to Oyo, but to help us in the South-West and at the national to reclaim the Presidency, she said.
Also speaking, Ambassador Wali commended what he called the unique contribution of Ladoja to the development of the PDP, adding that this had earned him respect which he said was not limited to Yorubaland but spread throughout the country.
“We are confident that we will reach our goal with the support and understanding of people like you,” he said.
Packaged by Alice Egbedele
