By OLA AJAYI

IBADAN — Former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State and thousands of his supporters have identified with President Goodluck Jonathan in the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party.

Describing the crisis as reaching a frightening proportion at a meeting in Ibadan with Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, the PDP chieftains expressed hope that President Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former military President, Ibrahim Babangida and other national leaders of the party would be able to address issues and achieve reconciliation.

They stressed that they had implicit confidence in the reconciliation efforts of the BOT chairman of the party, Chief Tony Anenih in reconciling the warring factions in the spirit of give and take.

Though, other chieftains of the party boycotted the meeting, it was well-attended.

The PDP chieftains, also agreed that in view of the role played by Oyo State in the last election, they demanded that two ministerial posts be given to the state.

Chieftains like Senator Lekan Balogun, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, Elder Wole Oyelese and others were not physically present at the meeting.

Akala, who read out the speech said, “we are aware of the importance of our state.

“It is for this reason we are here to make our input for the total reconciliation of the party, noting that when PDP sneezes, other political parties and in fact, the nation catch cold.”

”What marks us out from other political parties in the country is the vibrancy in our great party. It is the reason we must not allow this situation to degenerate into disintegration.”

”Therefore, we in Oyo State PDP, should stand up to be counted as loyal to Mr. President, who is pursuing the transformation agenda which is currently the flagship of our party’s programme and ideals,” he said.