Oyo PDP crisis deepens as Ladoja, Makinde hold parallel congresses

The return of former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, from Accord Party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has deepened the crisis in the South-West state.
The state congress held on Saturday eventually produced two factional chairmen.
Efforts of the leader of the National Congress Committee and former governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, who was sent to the state by the National Secretariat to conduct the primaries, were futile as he could not reconcile Ladoja and a frontline governorship aspirant, Seyi Makinde.
While Ladoja held his congress at Watershed Events Centre, Old Ife Road, Makinde and his loyalists gathered at Baptist High School, Liberty Road for another congress.
Eventually, the Ladoja faction elected a former state chairman of the party, Kunmi Mustafa, as its chairman.
Another former state chairman, Jacob Adetoro, emerged as the chairman of the Makinde faction.
The two factional chairmen hail from Oyo North in Oke Ogun area of the state.
With the Ladoja faction are former Secretary to the State Government, Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, two former Ministers, Elder Wole Oyelese and Jumoke Akinjide, Senators Femi Lanlehin, Ayoade Adeseun, Gbenga Babalola, Dr. Saka Balogun, Hameed Gbadamosi, Chief Alli Oyedeji, Olayiwola Olakojo, Dr. Muraina Ajibola and others.
With the Makinde faction are Senator Hosea Agboola, wife of late Ibadan politician, Bose Adedibu, a former Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi, former House of Representatives Majority Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, Dare Adeleke, Bisi Olopoeniyan and Taiwo Oluyemi.
While speaking with journalists, Makinde said: “We’re here to elect the state executive members who will usher in a PDP administration in Agodi Government House in 2019. There is no crisis whatsoever, this is what we call politics and we have all agreed to resolve all issues, work together to win Oyo State for PDP in 2019.
“I can give everybody the assurance that we are all together in one party and whatever differences that led to some delegates coming here and going elsewhere will be amicably resolved in due process, I have been giving that assurance by all the stakeholders in the party both in Oyo State and at the National level.
“Democracy is about conflict and conflict resolution, all the stakeholders have come to resolve the differences as quickly as possible,” Makinde stated.
In his acceptance speech after the congress, Mustapha noted that the last few years had been tortuous for the PDP, adding that lack of internal democracy and indiscipline led the party to a sorry state.
He promised that under his leadership, Oyo PDP would attain greater heights and reclaim the state, saying the future of PDP would be written in gold.
“Now, we are here to promote positive political values, we are here to foster cohesiveness and henceforth PDP is fully back to set standards. These are what we as a political party have to imbibed and propagating. The PDP of today wants all its members to inculcate the political culture of functionality on grassroot politicking. We must revive and rejuvenate our already eroded traditional values. It is our expectation that Nigeria must be strongly rooted on unshakeable platforms in all ramifications in order to allow her shine the light of good leadership to the rest of the Black race. This is a challenge we are ready to meet.”