Lere Olayinka is the South West Zonal Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview, he speaks on various issues bothering on the party and solutions. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI brings the excerpts:
The South West chapter of the PDP has been enmeshed in crisis in recent times at a time many expect it to put its acts together to win APC controlled states in 2023. What do you think is responsible for this?
There is really no crisis in the real sense of it. Rather, what is playing out in the party is the struggle for control, which is normal in any human organization. It is majorly about someone arrogating to himself, a kind of power that he does not have. When you are from Lagos and you want to control the organs of the PDP in my local council in Ekiti, there will definitely be resistance and that’s exactly what is happening in the zone. To me, it is nothing to be worried about because in PDP, the moment the issue of the party organs is settled, everyone will fall in line. It has happened in Ekiti before. In 2012 when we had 318 and 310, the group whose candidate won the State chairmanship with 318 votes went on to take all the State Exco positions. The other group, whose candidate got 310 votes, did not get a single member of the State Exco. Two years after, PDP won the governorship election overwhelmingly.
Some party chieftains have said the trouble started when Governor Seyi Makinde tried to interfere in the party’s crisis in Ekiti State, which was rebuffed by the former governor, Ayo Fayose and his loyalists. How true is that?
It goes beyond what happened in Ekiti. But the truth is that Governor Makinde chose to interfere particularly in the party issues in Ekiti, Osun and Ogun States. As the only governor that we have in the Southwest, he can intervene. But instead of intervening, he chose to interfere, and as expected, there was resistance from these States. For instance, in Ekiti State, he unilaterally made a formula for sharing Local Government and State Excos. He presented a proposal that all the six Local Government Chairmen in Ekiti South Senatorial District be given to Senator Biodun Olujimi. That is a Senatorial District where we have two immediate past House of Reps members and the 2018 governorship candidate, Kolapo Olusola-Eleka . Then, he went further to propose that in Ekiti Central where former Governor Ayo Fayose and people like us are from, Olujimi should produce the party’s Secretary in the five Local Governments. And he was told clearly that in Ekiti PDP, we don’t have culture of sharing party positions, it has always been winner takes all. Eventually, we had our congresses in Ekiti and elected Excos at the Wards, Local Governments and State levels were ratified by the NEC. But contrary to the decisions of the party at the national level, Governor Makinde chose to invite a self-appointed State Chairman of the party to meetings in Ibadan. So, to us in Ekiti, the governor is deliberately fuelling rebellion and you don’t expect us to be clapping for him.
Then, the major issue is the Zonal Exco. It was Governor Makinde who brought the idea of the Dr Eddy Olafeso-led Zonal Exco’s return to office because of the fact that they were hampered from functioning for over two years by lawsuits. It was his idea that the zoning arrangement should be retained and Dr Olafeso be returned as National Vice Chairman. So, at what point did he change his mind? And when he was going to change his mind, did he inform anyone? I am aware that he changed his mind because of Senator Hosea Agboola’s desire to be zonal chairman and there is really nothing wrong with that. It simply means that at the zonal congress, there will be two or more candidates and there will be election. Whoever wins in a free, fair and transparent congress, we will all accept.
A Southwest meeting of the party was held in Ibadan few days ago to broker peace and it was alleged that the Ekiti state chapter of PDP boycotted it. What was the reason for the boycott?
Personally, I am not aware of any meeting of the Southwest, apart from the one held last week Sunday, in which Chairman of the Zonal Caretaker Committee, Dayo Ogungbenro was suspended. I am sure you are aware that one of the reasons he was suspended was that he did not call a single meeting of the caretaker committee since they were appointed. You should also be aware that the meeting was attended by seven out of the 12 members of the caretaker committee and four out of the six state chairmen.
A parallel reconciliation committee, to resolve the crisis within the zone was set up by Fayose’s loyalists headed by Engr. Femi Babalola. Why was that action taken?
It is the zonal exco and the State chairmen that can duly take decisions for the party in the zone and to the best of my knowledge, the Engr Femi Babalola-led reconciliation committee was duly constituted and the committee has started work.
As it stands, who is the political leader of the PDP in South West zone?
The issue of political leadership is a function of agreement by the followers. There is nowhere in the constitution of the PDP that is written that A, B, or C will be leader. It is just for convenience, and in the past, it has always been the States running its own affairs. Even when Fayose was the only governor, he did not impose Chief Faforiji as the Chairman of the party in Osun State despite his closeness to Senator Iyiola Omisore then. The people in Osun chose who they wanted as Chairman. In 2016 that PDP had two governors in the Southwest (Dr Olusegun Mimiko and Fayose), some of the proponents of Governor Makinde is the supreme leader of the party, whose decisions must not be questioned, were in Ijebu Igbo residence of late Senator Buruji Kashamu, holding zonal congress while the two governors were in Akure. Then, they said Kashamu was the leader of the party despite that we had two governors. So, the issue of leadership is not what anyone can enforce. Or can anyone force himself on me as my leader? Most importantly, in zones where PDP has more than one governor, who is the party leader there?
Do you see the hand of APC in this crisis?
In politics, nothing is impossible.
It has been rumoured that Governor Fayose is doing all these to make the party unstable so that he can use that as an excuse to join APC. How will you react to that?
We are used to that lies coming from those who are obviously uncomfortable with Fayose’s political strength. Let me say this again, Peter Ayodele Fayose is a clear-minded person. He does not say yes when he means no. He is someone who does not do anything in hiding. In 2015, when things were so hot for him politically that he only needed to defect to APC to stop his planned impeachment, he did not defect. In 2018, when he was offered with the option of joining APC so that he can escape EFCC arrest and trial after leaving office, he did not. Instead, he opted to submit himself to the EFCC to be investigated and tried and more than two years after leaving office, he is facing his trial. Is it after staying in EFCC detention for weeks and Ikoyi prison for days that he will now go and join APC, a dying party? And if I may ask, how many of those peddling this lie has said anything against the misrule of the APC government in the last one year? When Fayose was about the only man standing for the PDP, where were they?
Why has it been difficult for leaders of the party such as Chief Bode George and Governor Fayose to work together?
Fayose is ready to work with those who are genuinely interested in the progress of the party. However, he is someone who says his mind not minding whose ox is gored. He told Chief Bode George the truth that should be told and he stands by that.
What has been the role of the National Working Committee in this crisis?
The NWC is playing the role that it should play by working with duly constituted organs of the party. Apart from the Engr Femi Babalola led reconciliation committee set up by the zonal caretaker committee, the NWC has also constituted a reconciliation committee.
What do you think is the way forward and best solution to the crisis?
The way forward is for the democratic rights of leaders and members of the party in the zone to be respected. No one should lord him or herself over others. For instance, someone should not be in Ibadan and be putting his mouth in who becomes the PDP chairman in Ado Ekiti.
Source : https://www.independent.ng
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