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By Dapo Akinrefon & Adeola Badru

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Oyo State, may not end anytime soon, just as the only lawmaker representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the Red Chamber, Senator Kola Balogun, resigned his membership of the party on Monday night.

The resignation of the senator, representing Oyo South Senatorial District was contained in a letter addressed to the chairman of the party in Ward 12, Ibadan North-East Local Government Area.

According to a statement by the media aide to Senator Balogun, Mr Dapo Falade, the letter, dated 28 April, 2022, was received and acknowledged by the PDP Ward Chairman, Tijani Wasiu, on 29 April, 2022.

But, the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development did not stated his reason for leaving the party.

Senator Balogun, in the letter, titled ‘Letter Of Resignation From The Peoples Democratic Party,’said the resignation took effect from 28 April, 2022.”

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He thanked the party for giving him the opportunity to serve Oyo South Senatorial District in the ninth Senate of the National Assembly.

Senator Balogun said he enjoyed the cooperation of the PDP leadership and its members throughout the month of April and wished the party the best of luck.

He said: “I, Senator Dr. Kola Balogun, senator presently representing Oyo South Senatorial District at the 9th Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja, hereby tender my membership resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria, with effect from today 28th April, 2022.”

“I thank the party for giving me the opportunity to serve my people in the capacity of a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and your cooperation which I enjoyed till the month of April 2022.”

“I wish the party the best of luck. I thank you,” Senator Kola Balogun, who, until his resignation, was the only PDP senator from Oyo State in the ninth Senate, stated in the resignation letter.”

This development came days after some aggrieved members of the party in their hundreds defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state.

Kola Balogun unfair to Makinde, self-conceited — OKG

Meanwhile, the Oyo Kajola Group, OKG, yesterday, described Senator Balogun’s resignation from the PDP as an act of ingratitude and self-conceitedness.

The group, in a statement by its Media Coordinator, Mr Adebayo Ayandele, expressed its disappointment in Senator Balogun for dragging the name of the Olubadan of Ibadanland into the arena with a view to causing bad blood between Ibadan people and Governor Makinde.

The statement reads: “We have read a report containing the vituperations of the senator representing Oyo South, Senator Kola Balogun against Governor Seyi Makinde for allegedly denying him (Balogun) a second term ticket.

“We also read the news of Senator Balogun’s purported resignation from the PDP and waited to read a rebuttal from the senator, whether he would describe the two reports as fake news. But no rebuttal has come.

“Senator Balogun, to all intent and purpose, was wrong to have publicly attacked Makinde and heaped the blame on the governor for denying him a second term as if the ticket were his right.

“To set the records straight, the Oyo South PDP senatorial ticket, over which Senator Balogun attacked the governor and tried to set Ibadan people against his government by dragging the Olubadan of Ibadanland into the political arena, has not been given to anyone.

“Though Governor Makinde has encouraged the PDP in Oyo State to pick its candidates by consensus to avoid the rancour and heavy financial resources that will be expended on primaries, he has also insisted that any area where the consensus option fails will go ahead with primaries.

“So, he (Balogun) still reserves the right to contest in the PDP primary if he so wishes.

“But rather than explore that democratic means, we are surprised that he has chosen pettiness, trying to start an unwarranted war between the throne and the government and mouthing how much he has given to party leaders and all sorts.

“Senator Balogun, in his fiendish plan to bully the PDP into giving him the senatorial ticket willy-nilly like he enjoyed in 2019, said the governor is afraid that he would not be able to control the Olubadan and himself, the question is in what ways can a governor control a monarch of Olubadan’s standing or even a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

“Governor Makinde has made it clear that the Olubadan Traditional System must operate without external control and he would never seek to meddle in the affairs of the Olubadan.

“So we urge Senator Balogun to find another excuse for his planned dalliance with the APC.”

Vanguard News Nigeria