By Ola Ajayi

A whirlwind of sorts seems to be blowing through the remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Oyo State. When the party should otherwise be reinforcing its structures after the rout during the last general elections, chieftains of the Oyo chapter of the PDP it seems are bent on sustaining the war of attrition that helped to collapse the last PDP government in the state.

A spate of suspensions and expulsions by the different factions of the PDP in the state is the sign of the resumption of full belligerency by the different factions of the party in the state.

First, it was the faction loyal to the immediate past Governor of the State, Chief Bayo Alao-Akala that ignited the expulsion war. At a meeting held at a popular hotel along old Ife road, Ibadan the former governor and his loyalists adopted a resolution to expel the former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, Senator Lekan Balogun, the founder of the party in the South West, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, former Minister of Power and Steel in the Sani Abacha military regime, Elder Wole Oyelese and Hazeem Gbolarunmi, a close aide of the former political godfather of Chief Alao-Akala and a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abass Olopoenia.

The group said, the expelled chieftains were behind the failure of the party to win the state as they allegedly worked for the opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN during the last elections in the state.

It justified its position by saying the national secretariat of the party had directed that any member of the party found culpable of anti-party activities should be expelled.

But, the Balogun faction which had won over some loyalists of the former governor, Otunba Alao-Akala, faulted the purported expulsion. Balogun explained that it was an error on the part of the other side to expel him and his associates as he claimed that the much they could do was to suspend and recommend them for expulsion.

He stated that as far as the national secretariat of the party is concerned, there is no state executive in the state as there are court injunctions backing the claim.

Balogun, who was flanked by the former deputy governor to Akala during the 11 months suspension of the Ladoja regime, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi and a former Commissioner Mr. Lekan Olatinwo, said having considered the role of Akala in the party’s failure to win the state and poor leadership skill that could have taken the party to the promised land, that Akala remained suspended by the faction.
He accordingly recommended that the former governor be expelled by the national secretariat of the party.

For peace to reign in the party, they said, “Akala must just leave this party now because. He is no longer an asset to the party. Therefore, we, as stakeholders in the party hereby recommend him for expulsion. In order to attain lofty aspirations for our party, we consider it appropriate at this juncture to suspend Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala from the party and recommend him to the national secretariat for expulsion”.

The group claimed that the lawlessness of the faction was evident in the alleged expulsion of key chieftains of the party. Balogun’s faction argued that no state arm of the PDP had the constitutional power to expel but could only suspend.

Defending the alleged suspension of the former governor, Senator Balogun explained that the former governor had proved that he was out to kill the party in the state.

According to him, if Akala did not succeed to win the state for the party despite his autocratic nature, he had nothing good to offer the party now that he is out of power.

Few weeks earlier, some of the chieftains of the party met at the Ibadan residence of Gbolarumi in a show that was apparently staged to show some form of life in the party after the rout at the recent general elections.

At that meeting it was observed that some of the supporters of former Governor Alao-Akala had deserted him for the camp of Alhaji Gbolarumi.

Among those who have deserted Alao-Akala and his faction are his former commissioner for Youths and Sports, Ayoola Makanjuola, who spoke on behalf of Gbolarumi’s faction, former senator Senator Gbenga  Babalola, two former members of the House of Representatives, Mr.  Waheed Aderemi Gbede, Mr. Lekan Olatinwo, a former commissioner in the administration of Akala and Segun Akinloye, a former member of the House of Representatives .

All four were present at the meeting in Gbolarumi’s house. Others who attended  included some local government chairmen in the administration of the former governor. Though, Vanguard learnt that the former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, Senator Lekan Balogun, Alhaji Olopoenia, and two former governors of the state were being expected, they were not at the meeting at the time the meeting started.

Speaking with newsmen on the rationale behind the meeting, Mr. Makanjuola said the party was not well-managed by some leaders and this led to the failure of the party to secure governorship seats in the South West and Oyo State.

Makanjuola said, “we believe we have a formidable group. The party was not well-managed and the misfortune in Oyo State went round other states in the South West. If we had consolidated in Oyo, we would have won in other states. How can a single person be directing the affairs of the party in 10 local governments in Oke-Ogun,” the erstwhile associate of Alao-Akala asked?

When asked if Chief Alao-Akala was in support of the meeting, he said if he wished to join the team he would be welcome adding that the meeting was crucial so that the party would not plunge into another failure in the 2015 elections.

He said the notion that the national leadership of the party had was that there was no PDP in Oyo and it would be beneficial to let the party know that some progressives are already in place who would re-unite and form a formidable PDP.

He explained that he would not say the former governor was not relevant again in the party saying, the ex-governor was relevant but he had to do some reconciliation for the party to move forward.   The spokesperson of the group said, “in any election, a lunatic is relevant provided he can be tamed to vote”.

On Tuesday, the Akala faction met and announced the suspension of some chieftains of the party believed to have worked against it in the election.