…Stakeholders’ Call Out Bayelsa Gov, Diri, For Changing Congress Rule
…Sordid Details Of Alleged Tinubu Connection With Ayu, Fayose, Others To Hijack Lagos PDP
An avalanche of backlash is the lot of the Dr. Iyorchia Ayu-led national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the alleged manipulation of the state congress conducted in Lagos State last Sunday.
The torrent of backlash, which is 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 Lagos State, Mr. Philip Aivoji, as the party’s state chairman from the alleged stage-managed congress.
The governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, who superintended over the congress as the chairman of the Electoral Committee, announced Aivoji as winner of the chiarmanship contest, 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’ the PDP in Lagos State, ahead of the 2023 election.
A former member of the House of Representatives, who pleaded anonymity, said, “If this is allowed to stand, the PDP has just been set up to crash like a pack of cards, before the All Progressives Congress, APC, even before the commencement of the 2023 race.
“We were all there on Sunday and right before our eyes the Bayelsa State 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 iniatial 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.”
The former lawmaker also described as repulsive, the exclusion of Dr. Fawole from the process by Governor Diri, ordered that Fawole should be taken out of the election venue on three different occasions, while he left other aspirants to observe proceedings.
He added, “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.”
Lending his voice, a member of the Lagos PDP Elders Forum, who also pleaded not to be named, said that the intrigues around the congress was solely about former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 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, CPS, 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 of Tinubu. The game is clear, Tinubu has compromised them from the top and it’s 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 the governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos. Whoever has control of the executive is likely to produce the guber candidate.”
The PDP chieftain also berated Governor 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 reached 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 the 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, emerge as chairman, when other zones are without nothing?”
