For daring to attack the Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in South-West, Chief Bode George, a group in Lagos State PDP, Lagos Collectives has taken Chief Ishola Filani to the cleaners.
A statement signed by the group’s chairman, Professor Tejumade Akitoye, said it would never allow Filani to destroy the party in the state and the South-West.
The statement entitled ‘The Diatribe of Ishola Filani’ reads: “We read with consternation and even sadness the unprovoked and gratuitous attempt by Mr Ishola Filani to denigrate the committed leaders of our party in the South-West with his false, reckless, hair brain and outlandish utterances.
“It appears Mr Filani is now living in cuckoo-land. But how else to describe a man who has raised one Buruji Kashamu to the level of a mentor and even idolization? Mr Filani who lives and dines in Kashamu’s hotel at least knows where his bread is buttered. Having relocated the Secretariat of the South-West zonal office of our great party to Kashamu’s hotel room, Filani has surrendered all ethical values and abandoned all tempering logic of integrity for transient base values.
“We must not be dragged into the gutter with this man of blurry value and distorted vision whose sole predication is sheer pecuniary gains far above honour and service.
“It is indeed amusing and even tragic that Filani, who is an unelected transient actor, has chosen to pick on a great party stalwart like Chief Olabode George simply because he was pointedly told that the party constitution cannot be compromised for him to succeed himself. That is Chief Bode George’s offence.
“It is rather curious that Filani, who has never for once engaged the ACN in any robust criticism, has chosen as his past-time the ignoble fixation of insulting leaders of great distinction who have invested so much in the progress and viability of the Peoples Democratic Party at the highest level of leadership. Interesting enough, it was the same Chief Bode George who practically begged the credible leaders of Ekiti to put Filani as Ex-officio member of the state Executive committee that Filani is now raising arms against!
“While we will be surprised if Chief Bode George should react to Filani’s diatribe, we as stakeholders in the party are now strongly advising the national leadership of our party to swiftly disband the Filani caretaker contraption before our party is totally wrecked in the South-West. As it is now, Filani has succeeded in sowing discord from Ekiti to Ogun state. Though he has not succeeded in Lagos, his planted agent is prowling aimlessly in desperate bid for relevance.
“The diatribe of Filani knows no boundary as far as the leadership of PDP is concerned. He has poured invectives and abuse at various times at former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Engineer Olusegun Oni, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and several other leading lights of our party. Enough is enough. This madness must stop now! Is this what our leaders fought for? Is this the price for commitment and selfless service to our party?
“We are seizing this opportunity to warn the party leadership to exercise exemplary contemplation and tactfulness whenever they consider people to occupy sensitive positions. When you put a failed, unemployed character in position far above surmountable competence and moral aptitude, we degrade the party, we degrade ourselves. That is unfortunately our position now in the South-West. Thanks to time-servers who worship Kashamu as their icon despite the sickening aura and smell of odious totality about their adopted lord and master. If this is the face of PDP in the South-West, then may God help us all”
