BY CHARLES KUMOLU

MRS. Abiola Folami Ada is a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, in Lagos State. She also contested for the position of Woman Leader at the recent state congress. In this interview with Vanguard, Ada argued that there was no congress in the state, alleging that the new executive members were imposed by Chief Olabode George. She also called on the national leadership of the party to declare the outcome of the exercise null and void.

MIXED reactions have continued to trail the state congress of the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a chieftain of the party, who contested for the position of state Woman Leader, can we know what really happened at the congress?

What happened was that there was nothing like congress in Lagos PDP, the congress was supposed to be for th grassroot level, but unfortunately it was the reverse in Lagos. People were denied the opportunity of exercising their rights by contesting. Some of us were prevented from buying forms because they already had those, they wanted to sell the forms to. I personally went to national headquaters in Abuja to buy my form.

I was denied the form by Bode George and his group. Three delegates were supposed to emerge from each ward to vote at the congress. But that was not the case in Lagos because everything was rigged and party constitution was not followed. There was a transition committee that was  headed by Musiliu Obanikoro, I can tell you that the committee did not help matters.  The committee connived with Bode George to impose candidates on us.

Bode George

There was also a court injunction restraining them from holding the congress, but they went ahead to hold the congress. I am not surprised because Bode George does not have regard for the law. If he had respect for the law, he would have obeyed court orders. What they did was to rent crowd with the help of the police. What they called congress was the appointments they did inside Bode George’s sitting room.

When you  discovered that the congress was not going to hold along party guidelines, did you make any effort to ensure that the party constitution was followed?

We tried our best. At the ward level we were asked to form  reconcilatory committee and we did that. For example in Surulere, a ten man committee was set up and they harmonised their list. But to my greatest surprise, the Obanikoro led transition and reconcillatory committee, set aside the outcome of the local government committees and gave forms to the Bode George’s loyalists.

They did not take cognisance of the work of the committee. I was forced to make a formal protest by writing a letter to the National Organising Secretary and they acted immediately by giving me form. Unfortunately the form was worthless because there was no contest.

Apparently, you are not the only person who is aggrieved about the outcome of the state congress, have you people come together to register your grievance as a group?

Yes we have done that. We went to court first to get injunction because of the outcome of the ward congress. A lot of people have come together to reject the outcome. We are concerned about how the party and this country can move forward, but we cant move forward if we don’t practice internal democracy in our party. We believe in a metropolitan Lagos that accommodates everybody in Lagos. that is why the membership of the PDP Women Vanguard which I am the president cut across tribe and religion.

So, a lot people are not happy with what Bode George is doing. Is this how we can reclaim Lagos from the ACN? The way George has been acting in this party, is responsible for the inability of the PDP to win Lagos state. And I want the national headquaters to realise how important, winning Lagos would be.