South West PDP Concede Chairmanship to North as Ladoja Returns

By Segun James

In a surprise moved after weeks of agitating, the leadership of the southwest chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party have finally conceded the national chairmanship of the party to the north.

This however comes with a caveat that during the midterm congress of the party which must come up sometime in 2017, a southern chairman must be elected to midwife the presidential candidate of the party to the 2019 election.

This is coming just as the former governor of Oyo stat Chief Rasheed Ladoja announced his return to the party at the meeting.

The southwest leader of the party, Chief Olabode George stated this at a reconciliation meeting of all the geopolitical zone leaders yesterday.

He condemned the position of the people who went against the Southwest having the National Chairman’s slot; he lamented the alleged sellout of some politicians from the zone in the leadership struggle.

George made it clear that for the party to be relevant again in the southwest, “we must resist at all cost the attempt to control southwest PDP by miscreants.”

The leader who also at the occasion reconciled with the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose enjoined the leaders of the party to know that “any forum outside the one attended by the two southwest governors from the party is illegal and reactionary to southwest interest.”

He commended Fayose for criticism of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the country, saying that the party needed a strong voice to speak for the people.

He disclosed that following the ratification of the position of the party on leadership position, the southwest had been allotted the position of the National Publicity Secretary which goes to Ondo and Ekiti states while the position of National Secretary will also be retained by the zone and has been allotted to Oyo and Osun states, while the National Auditor position will go to Lagos and Ogun state.

That party leaders also made it clear that Governors Segun Mimiko and Ayodele Fayose must ensure that no congress is recognised outside one participated in by the leaders.

Former Governor of Oyo, Rasheed Ladoja announced as returned to PDP, saying he was back to work hand in gloves with party leadership to ensure it recaptures the zone in 2019.

Also speaking, Governor Fayose urged the leaders to be proactive and to nip in the bud any judicial clog in the wheel of the party’s progress.

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