The crisis rocking the Lagos chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) took a new twist Tuesday, as Segun Adewale, took control of the party secretariat.
Adewale is laying claim to the chairmanship position of Lagos PDP, alleging that the tenure of Adegboola Dominic who currently occupies the position, expired last December. He said that based on the 2016 state congress of the party he was the legally recognised chairman.
Adewale, with scores of his supporters, forcefully gained entrance into and took control of the party’s state secretariat in the presence of security officials.
Addressing scores of protesting party members and supporters on Tuesday, Adewale stated that he was the authentic state chairman of the party and was in the struggle to liberate the party from the grip of a few individuals who, he alleged, had held it captive.
He added that Dominic was never elected chairman at a state congress of the party, but was handpicked by Bode George, stressing that based on the state congress election of 2016, he was the authentic state chairman.
“I emerged as the State Chairman during the reign of the then National Chairman of the party in 2016 to oversee the affairs of the party for four years, which should ordinarily terminate in 2021. I stepped aside when there were some issues within the party, which does not amount to my resignation as the Chairman.”
“Chief Bode George, against the constitution, Section 46-48, unilaterally picked an Acting Chairman, Adegbola Dominic; our constitution recognises State Executive Committee or Congress as the only means of filling vacant positions or electing State officers, but not by fiat as been carried out by Chief Bode George and his cohorts,” Adewale added.
He boasted that he had support of most chairmen of the party in the state, stressing that the current leadership had further divided the party.
Meanwhile the National Vice chairman, (Southwest) of the party, Eddy Olafeso, faulted the claims by Adewale, noting that Agboola remained the Lagos State chairman of the party until the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party calls for a fresh states congress nationwide.
Olafeso who spoke in an interview with BusinessDay, Tuesday, on the current crisis, added that Adewale was not a member of the party and that he was not ready to discuss with Adewale.
“Adewale is not a member of PDP. He went to contest in Ekiti and now he is back. At the National Working Committee we have taken a decision on him, he is a joker. Dominic remains the Lagos PDP chairman until a fresh state congress is called by NWC nationwide.
“I am not ready to negotiate with him neither do I take money to support any body. I don’t abuse elders; he is taking laws into his hands and we would not tolerate that,” Olafeso added.
Iniobong Iwok
