Rather than thaw, the crisis in the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened.
Less than 48 hours after the state congress supervised by Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State to produce a new exco, the centre can no longer hold.
Now, the Dr. Iyorchia Ayu-led national leadership of the party is facing torrent of backlash over alleged manipulation of the congress conducted last Sunday.
The reactions from the stakeholders of the party in the state is coming on the heels of the emergence of a former Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Tourism in the state, Mr. Philip Aivoji, as the party’s chairman from the alleged stage-managed congress in the state.
Diri was the chairman of the Electoral Committee and he announced Aivoji as winner with 839 votes to defeat his closest contender, Dr Amos Fawole, who polled 816 votes.
However, party members and leaders ostensibly rejected the announced result on the grounds of subterfuges, arguing that the outcome was a ‘ground to regress and bury’ PDP in Lagos State ahead of the 2023 election.
According to a former House of Representatives member, who preferred to be anonymous, he said, ‘If this is allowed to stand, PDP has just been set up to crash like a pack of cards before the APC even before the commencement of the 2023 race.
“We were all there on Sunday and right before our eyes, the Bayelsa Governor, Diri, presided and coordinated the barefaced charade and chicanery he was apparently sent to do by selfish interests within and outside our party.
“I began to smell a rat when the initial venue of Police College, Ikeja, was changed on the morning of the election to an event centre opposite the initial venue for no reason. The question was, which is safer for adequate security?
“After that, the manipulation trajectory turned full-blown when a congress scheduled for 8am didn’t commence till later in the night. In fact, we waited for Governor Diri but he didn’t show up until 6pm and we learnt he has been in Lagos since the previous day.
“After the undue delay, he addressed delegates and said that the consensus agreement reached by the leaders will be adopted and everyone took his word as sacrosanct that a voice affirmation will be done for all the offices. He even advised those who came from far distance to go because it will be a voice vote and some delegates especially those from Ibeju-Lekki axis left for their destination.
“However, to our chagrin, Governor Diri returned several hours later at exactly 1 am, and said the process and arrangement had changed, and that it is going to be an elective congress, just after people had left. It was then many of us accepted the fact that there was a game-plan some people are working towards,” he said.
The former lawmaker also described as repulsive the decision by Diri to exclude Fawole in the process by ordering that he should be taken out of the election venue on three occasions when other aspirants were left to observe proceedings.
“This is not how our PDP in Lagos is. Something must be done. Do you know they even switched off the light at a point for 20 minutes to perpetuate their nefarious activities, meanwhile, there was light just outside the corridor of the venue.”
Also lending his voice, a member of the Elders Forum of the party in the state, said the intrigues around the congress was solely about former governor of Lagos State taking over the reins of the opposition party using his friendship with the party’s national chairman, Ayu, and former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose.
The incensed party leader said, “Whoever knows Iyorchia Ayu, will know that he is a close friend of Bola Tinubu from when he was President of the Senate during the Third Republic. In fact, Ayu’s Chief Press Secretary at the time, Segun Ayobolu, was nominated for him by Tinubu. The same Ayobolu later served as Tinubu’s CPS when he was governor.
“Even Fayose, who is backing Deji Doherty in Lagos, is an unrepentant apologist to Tinubu. The game is clear, Tinubu has compromised them from the top and it is a clear turf for them ahead of the 2023 polls, except there is a change.
“They clearly don’t want the emergence of Jandor as governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos. Whoever has control of the executive is likely to produce the guber candidate.”
The PDP leader also berated Diri for allegedly allowing himself to be used, stating that, “He met with five principal leaders of the party in the state on two different occasions before the congress to reach a consensus. He met with Chief Bode George, Chief Mrs Maina, Chief Mrs Onikepo Oshodi, former Minister Abimbola Ogunkelu and Prince Remi Akintoye, only for him to change the process afterwards.
“Even the zoning pattern was defied in the process of the shenanigan. The last three chairmen of PDP in Lagos came from Lagos West and the zoning pattern already said it should be from Lagos Central.
“How can Aivoji, who is from the same local government with the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Hon. Koshoedo, be imposed when other zones are without nothing?” he queried.
