‘We are disappointed in you’ – PDP replies members over vote of no – confidence in Gov Makinde

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo has expressed disappointment over Monday’s vote of no-confidence passed by some aggrieved members of the party in the state in the Governor, Seyi Makinde, describing their action as ‘anti-party.’

Some aggrieved high-level members of the party had passed a vote of no-confidence in the administration of Governor Makinde for allegedly not carrying them along in his government, even as they vowed to wreck his 2023 ambitions in the state.

A resolution was passed at the well-attended meeting in Ibadan, Monday, which recorded participants from across the 33 local government areas of the state.

The stakeholders’ meeting was held ahead of the congress of the party starting on September 25.

PDP leaders at the meeting include: former Deputy Governor of the State, Hazeem Gbolarumi; and former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mrs Mulikat Adeola-Akande, as well as, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeyan, Femi Babalola, Nureni Akanbi, among others.

In a communiqué read by Michael Okunlade, the PDP leaders accused Makinde of sidelining those in the party who worked for his emergence as governor.

The leaders promised to work against the re-election of the Governor in the 2023 election.

“Members are urged to go to the congress venue on Saturday and conduct themselves in the most peaceful manner. The venue remains the wards meeting venues in each of the 351 wards in the state.

“If other members of the PDP turn up at the venue, they should jointly hold the congress together but nobody should engage in any form of hooliganism and brigandage. As members of the same party, we must relate as such.

“Members are assured that efforts are being made at the state and national levels to ensure that the ownership of PDP reverts back to members of the party.

“The meeting prays for peaceful conduct of the PDP congress which behind on Saturday, September 25 through October 16, 2021.

“The meeting rose with the passing of vote of no confidence in the leadership of Engr Seyi Makinde on the Oyo State PDP,” the communiqué read.

However, reacting, Tuesday, to the resolutions reached by the aggrieved members in the state, the Chapter leadership said that it was disappointed in what the aggrieved members did.

The party, in a statement through its Publicity Secretary, Engineer Akeem Olatunji, described the action of the aggrieved members as anti-party, further describing the aggrieved members of the party as ‘selfish politicians.’

“We want to state unequivocally that no man or woman with genuine love for his or her own household would want to destroy the family except such man or woman has started receiving gratification or personal benefits to accomplish such task.

“There is no part of the world where the political landscape is devoid of mixed feelings from time to time due to presumably unachieved expectations for whatever reason, but that is never a licence to embark on a campaign of sheer political blackmail in order to recruit unsuspecting political members into a selfish, perilous and very personal scheme to bring down a God Sent Man simply because of some unfulfilled personal and political gain, to the detriment of the masses.

Some of the members who claimed to be aggrieved are merely acting out their frustrations after their “candidates in government were either redeployed due to incompetence or shown the exit door due to gross misconduct bothering on challenge of integrity. The fact remains that they will never tell you details of their supposed grievances against Governor Seyi Makinde other than the very parochial narrative of ‘unfulfilled promises’, and these spurious claims are merely aimed at currying undue and undeserved public sympathy.

“As the party’s congress approaches, their voices against Governor Makinde and his performing government have been raised to the rooftops not because GSM has stopped performing or breaking new grounds of success in governance, but simply because they felt their personal political expectations and gratifications were denied them in the larger interest of the good people of Oyo State.

“While we acknowledge that it is in order for politicians participating in politics and political activities to have personal aspirations and political expectations for their commitment and services to the party, it is very important to stress emphatically that such personal or political aspirations and expectations must not at any point override the ultimate interest of the party and, therefore, there should never at any point be a foreclosure to healthy political engagements and communication within the party among the stakeholders,” Olatunji said.