Oyo PDP Chieftains Petition Party

Some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in Oyo State have reportedly petitioned the party’s Ward Congress Appeal Panel.

According to the petitioners which comprised seven governorship aspirants the congress never held and wondered how the election panel got a result and described it as an attempt to manipulate the congress to favour a former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin.

Adebayo Alao-Akala

Punch reports that the petition, which was dated November 25, 2014, was signed by the former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala for Ogbomoso-North Local Government Area, while Senator Ayo Adeseun signed for Surulere and Ogo Oluwa Local Government Area, as well as Femi Babalola for Afijio Local Government Area.

Other signatories who are governorship aspirants comprised former Minister of Sports and Special Duties, Professor Taoheed Adedoja from the Ibadan South-West LGA, a former deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarunmi from Ibadan-North LGA, Dr. Isaac Owolabi from the Ibadan North-East LGA and Professor Soji Adejumo from the Ibadan North-West LGA.
It was further gathered that the aspirants wrote the petition under the aegis of Concerned Oyo State PDP Governorship Aspirants.

They unanimously expressed their displeasure on the manner the state monitoring committee conducted itself on the rescheduled ward congress on Monday.

However, four other aspirants, Folarin, Seyi Makinde, Kehinde Olaosebikan and Dr. Azeez Adeduntan distance themselves from the said petition.

According to Sunday Babalola, coordinator of Folarin’s group asserted that there was no need defending what never happened, adding that Alao-Akala and others were just being afraid of defeat.
“The team should do better than peddling flimsy allegations. Why link Folarin and Mr. Hong with all these? I just can’t understand what the team is putting forward,” he said.


It would be recalled that on September 15, as preparations for the 2015 governorship elections in Oyo State draws near, no fewer than 10 governorship aspirants emerged under the big umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and it was gathered from one of the aspirants Seyi Makinde that President Goodluck Jonathan has not anointed any aspirants for the impending governorship election in the state.

Meanwhile, Ex Oyo state governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala had earlier revealed that he doesn’t believe that the Nigerian Army can defeat the Boko Haram insurgency easily.