Rising from a four-hour closed door meeting, held at the Premier Hotel, Mokola in the state capital, they used the opportunity to pledge their unalloyed loyalty to President Goodluck Jonathan, as the head of government and the ruling party.
In a six-point communiqué issued at the end of the meeting convened by the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, the stakeholders hinged their demand for the two substantive ministerial appointments because of what they described as “our performance in the 2011 general election, which was the best in the “South-West.”
The communiqué was signed by 41 PDP leaders, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Jumoke Akinjide and the Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Honourable (Mrs) Mulikat Akande-Adeola, at the event, which was attended by other serving and former lawmakers, ministers.
They justified their unflinching support for President Jonathan in view of the effective manner they said he was implementing the transformation agenda of his administration for the development of the country.
On the crisis rocking PDP at the national level, the PDP stakeholders emphasized that they “fully support and wish him success in the effort to bring an amicable resolution of the current misunderstanding within PDP.”
While promising to make the stakeholders/leaders’ meeting a regular affair, they advocated a renewed effort to effect reconciliation through the process of harmonization, which will facilitate and reflect a sense of belonging among the various interest groups in Oyo PDP.
Accordingly, the leaders who were silent on the absence of some other notable personalities in Oyo PDP at the meeting, resolved to set a harmonisation committee.
Earlier, Otunba Alao-Akala had in his opening address, declared that the meeting was a direct response to the current crisis in PDP at the national level, which he said could not only spill over but also have a telling effect on PDP structures to state chapters.
He said though the current crisis had become worrisome, he expresses optimistism that PDP would overcome the challenges. “Before now, the party has been through one crisis or the other with PDP’s crisis resolving mechanism proving equal to the task. But we what we have in our hands now seems to be of a frightening dimension. Yet, I share the hope that the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, in the same vein, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former military President Ibrahim Babangida, among other national leaders of the party, would be able to address the issues and reconcile the party.
In expressing an implicit confidence in PDP Board of Trustees [BOT] chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, in reconciling all the warring factions, the former governor said PDP had been the mainstay of Nigeria’s democracy since 1999 " he said
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He also noted that during the period, the party had empowered its members and threw up people into political offices at national, state and local government levels, stating that the meeting was meant to chart a new beginning for Oyo PDP.
“We must eschew all bitterness, bickering and all untoward conducts,” he stressed adding, “We must remember the love that binds as a family, because united we stand and divided we fall.
The former governor who observed since Oyo had always lived by its epithet pacesetter state, it was imperative for all the existing PDP interest groups in the state to sink their differences now, noting that “when PDP sneezes, other political parties and in fact, the nation catches cold.”
Other dignitaries at the meeting were Dr. Saka Balogun, a former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Bamidele Dada, Senator Gbenga Babalola, Senator Brimmo Yusuf,a former Minister of Sports, Professor Taoreed Adedoja, chief Kunmi Mustapha, Chief Layi Olakojo, Asimiyu Alarape; and Chief J. Ola Adigun Irawo.
The list also comprised Alhaji Nureni Akanbi, Chief Jacob Adetoro, Mr Seyi Makinde, Mr Felix
Babalola, Chief Michael Akinfenwa, Alhaji Rasaq Gbadegesin, Dr. Gbola Adetunji, Mr Kunle Ishola, honourable Dipo Oyedokun and Chief Wale Ohu.
Some of the lawmakers that attended the event were Honorable Tajudeen Azeez, Honourable Afeez Jimoh; Honourable Segun Odebunmi, Honourable Rafiu Adekunle, Honourable Tajudeen Salaudeen and Honourable Segun Ogunwuyi
