Eddy Olafeso, national vice-chairman (Southwest) of the main opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has called for unity among party members in Lagos State and the Southwest, saying that peace was crucial to the electoral success of the party in the state and across the region.
Some states chapters of the party in the Southwest, especially Lagos State have been engulfed in leadership crisis since after the conclusion of the 2019 general election; In Lagos State, the crisis led to the defection of some chieftains of the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In resolving the crisis, the national leadership of the party had some months back, set up a peace committee headed by Ben Obi, which culminated in the recent election of a new state chairman for the state chapter.
But speaking during the inauguration of the new executive committee of the party in Lagos State, Tuesday, Olafeso said the South West was at its lowest ebb, noting that unity was crucial for the party’s success so it can rescue the country.
“The South West is at crossroads, but this is a time for a new beginning indeed and with peace in Lagos State, is the beginning of a new thing in the South West. The challenges in the country today are enormous; there is need for all of us to be united, and I appeal for that unity,” Olafeso said.
In his inaugural speech, the newly elected Lagos State chairman of the party, Adedeji Doherty, said that the party was set to wrest power from the APC in the state in 2023, saying that the state presently needs the PDP to experience development.
Doherty explained that the new leadership of the party would usher in a new lease of life for the party and Lagos in particular.
He, however, showered encomium on the national leadership of the party for the role it played in uniting the party.
“Our democratic journey in Lagos over the past 20 years has been a tedious one which has been marred with one problem or the other which has led us to failures at every council, gubernatorial and presidential election in the past,” Doherty said.
While narrating how he emerged, Doherty explained that the failure of the party to win Lagos since 1999 created a serious concern for the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, who in his own wisdom decided to create a fact-finding committee headed by Senator Ben Obi to look for a long-lasting solution to the division and crises in the party.
He explained that the PDP transformation train has taken off, asking members of the party who had left to come back without meeting any condition.
He outlined the 7-point agenda through which his leadership would rebuild the party in the state, urging aggrieved members who are with various cases in court to give peace a chance.
“It was this bold step taken by the Prince Uche Secondus-led NWC that has finally given birth to the new dawn in our party today. Having said this, I would like to thank the major actors in this process that ensured that this decision by the NWC became a reality.
“The 65percent, 35percent sharing formula used in the past hereby comes to an end; PDP Lagos State will start afresh; we are one family and the party remains supreme,” He added.
Commenting on the state of the nation and Lagos, the Lagos PDP Chairman stated that the country’s democracy was at a critical situation, stating further that public primary and tertiary institutions in Lagos are dilapidating due to poor funding and bad management.
According to him, “Our roads are death traps due to lack of funds and mismanagement of resources. Our financial situation is in a critical stage where Lagos State is in a phenomenal debt situation of over N2trillion and still rising.
“Our general hospitals and primary health care units are understaffed, under-equipped and not affordable to the common man. Our transportation system over the years has been way behind in functionality due to bad management, low funding; in fact, it is becoming an eyesore and this is due to misplaced priorities,” he further said.
