By OLA AJAYI
IBADAN—THE crises in the Oyo state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, deepened Tuesday as a faction led by former Governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala expelled some chieftains of the party perceived to have worked against the party in the April general elections.

At a meeting attended by the former governor and his loyalists, the former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, Senator Lekan Balogun, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, former Minister of Power and Steel in the Sanni Abacha regime, Elder Wole Oyelese and Hazeem Gbolarunmi, a close aide of the late political godfather of Chief Alao-Akala, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abass Olopoenia.

It will be recalled that Senator Balogun testified before a Commission of Enquiry investigating the bloody mayhem between the factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, that Akala armed some members of the union loyal to him to unleash terror on the people.

Balogun described the expulsion as “a huge joke and arrant lawlessness typical of the Alao-Akala group” saying that “there is a lot left in the democratic arsenal to deal with these unthinking, crude politicians.”

Firstly, the ‘Exco’ that convened the meeting is illegal and unknown to law. Secondly, we all unconscientiously worked for Jonathan’s victory and the results showed.  Is it anti-party to reject tyranny and anti-people candidates at the polls?”
He added that the matter of whether or not the PDP had any candidate, lawfully, in the last election in Oyo State was still in court.

Balogun stressed further saying, “I would not bother myself at this stage about ‘an Agagu Panel’ report.  Suffice you to know that the panel never met with us for any discussion before making its recommendations, if such recommendation exists.  What became of Ike Nwachukwu’s painstaking findings?  Huge joke is the only way to describe the charade.”

However in the n a communiqué at the end of the faction’s meeting, the spokesperson of Akala’s faction, Mr. Morounkola Thomas  quoted a National Executive Committee {NEC} meeting in Abuja which he said, directed all state organs of the party to expel party members that worked against the interest of the party at the April general polls.

According to him, the meeting which was summoned by the former governor worked on the reports of the NEC of the party last month and also the Olusegun Agagu panel report.

The expulsion of the members, he noted would be communicated to the presidency so that they could be relieved of board appointment positions they had been given.

A 13-man reconciliation committee led by a former Commissioner for Commerce in the state, Dr. Kola Balogun was put in place to reconcile any of the expelled members who retraced his steps.