Group opens PDP factional secretariat in Oyo amid tension in Ondo, Lagos as South-West Exco kicks

The Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West has condemned the recent opening of a factional Oyo State PDP Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital, amid tension and uncertainty over the future of the party in Ondo and Lagos States respectively, Starnews Nigeria has gathered.

While the South-West PDP, at its zonal stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan condemned the new secretariat opened in Oyo State, a prominent leader of the party in Lagos State who spoke with Starnews Nigeria under the condition of anonymity revealed that similar fate may befall the opposition party in Ondo and Lagos States respectively over what he described as lack of cohesion in both states.

The Zonal Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Sanya Atofarati, while condemning the Oyo State factonal secretariat, said that only the legally constituted executive of the party existed in Oyo State.

He urged all party members in the state and indeed the zone to embrace the zonal chairman, Taofeek Arapaja’s unification agenda.

In a statement titled, ‘Resolutions at PDP Southwest stakeholders meeting which was held in Ibadan on Saturday’, but was made available to press men in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, Atofarati said: “The leadership condemned in strong terms, the illegal opening of a factional PDP State Secretariat in Oyo State, saying members should endeavour to toe the path of legality in a case where anyone feels discontented for any reason.”

He added that “the zonal leadership of the party affirmed that only one legally constituted executive exists in Oyo State and urged members of the party to disregard the illegal factional secretariat in its entirety and embrace the unification agenda of the Arapaja led executive.”

“The party in the zone unanimously decided to work in harmony, sink differences and join hands with Oyo State Governor Makinde, who is the PDP leader in the zone with a view to taking the party to the next level”, he said.

Atofarati further stressed that the stakeholders resolved that “all hands must be on deck to rescue the zone from the evil regime of the APC not only in the South-West, but in all the 36 states of the federation in 2023” as they “expressed strong confidence in the leadership of the Governor Makinde, the statement added.