PDP, Oyo State Chapter Warns New PDP Members

The Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend rose from a stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan warning  those parading themselves as the ‘New PDP’ to steer clear  of the state as it  pledged  support and loyalty to President Goodluck Jonathan in the face of mounting opposition within and outside the party.
The party at the meeting convened by the former Governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, held in Ibadan, also had in attendance, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ms. Jumoke Akinjide, and other party stakeholders across the 33 local government areas in the state.
However, the stakeholders in their communiqué issued at the end of the parley, demanded two substantive ministerial slots in the impending cabinet reconstitution by President Jonathan, in view of the state’s impressive electoral performance in the 2011 general election, which they claimed was the best in the South-west.
The meeting also discussed the ongoing reconciliation process in the party both at the state and federal levels enjoining members to close ranks and ensure that the party regains  its lost glory in the zone in the 2015 general elections.
Declaring the meeting open,  Alao-Akala, in his speech titled: ‘This House Must Not Fail’, appreciated the manner the president has been implementing his transformation agenda which he (Alao Akala) said had impacted on  the development and progress of  the country.
While pledging support for Jonathan, he pledged the support of the state chapter of PDP for the genuine reconciliation efforts of the president in order to resolve the current misunderstanding in the party at the national level.
The former governor also lamented the crisis at the national level of the party, calling on former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida to address the issues at stake and return the party to its former status as the biggest party in Nigeria and Africa.
To facilitate total reconciliation among all the warring members of the party in the state, the stakeholders announced that a harmonisation committee would be set up, and that their meeting would hold on regular basis.
Those who attended the meeting included former Sports Minister, Professor Taoheed Adedoja; Hon. Mulikat Akande, House of Representatives Majority Leader, Senator Gbenga Babalola and former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Brimmo Yusuf.