One of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan has frowned at the ongoing selection process adopted by the leadership of the party in producing candidates for the upcoming local government election in the state.
Olopoeyan described the decision allegedly made by Governor Seyi Makinde to set aside party primaries for the selection of candidates as a handiwork of some of his allies who are given him wrong advice in order to safeguard their own personal interests.
He explained that, making a candidate selection in a party where there are many aspirants showing interest in a single position was an attempt to kill the morale of party members and moves to weaken the political party.
Olopoeyan, in a chat with Vanguard, said that most things happening in the party in the state are very strange to him and to core party leaders.
He, therefore, called on the party’s National Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus and NWC to intervene, in order to rescue the party in the state from the hands of naive politicians before it totally collapses.
According to Olopoeyan: “Many things happening now in Oyo State PDP are very strange, our people are just turning the constitution upside down. I didn’t know if they are aware of the existence of our party constitution and its supremacy. Everything they are doing now always against the party constitution, and nobody is there to caution them, if we are not careful, we are going to lose all that we had laboured for in the party.”
“Now I am hearing they are attempting to select their anointed candidates for the local government election after many aspirants had bought forms, consulted elders, leaders, aligned and realigned, all in preparation for party primaries, so as to elect a candidate for the party. Now some selfish leaders had gone to brainwash Governor Seyi Makinde to adopt selection process, without considering the bad consequences and the future of our party.”
“Imagine what will be in the mind of a faithful party aspirant who had spent all his or her resources preparing for the primary election and party just call him or her that they had chosen someone ahead of him or her with no tangible reason given.”
“What will be the fate of those who collected loans to buy form when didn’t allow them to exercise their party franchise? Does that mean they had squandered the borrowed money? If the party is going to refund them, will it be with interest?”
“Let them come up with the yardstick they used for their selections, they should explain to us why their selected candidate in each of the 33 local government is better than others in the same local government after they all had paid for forms, screened at the party secretariat and given clearance certificate.”
“Those who are in the affairs of Oyo PDP now are making mistakes every time because they don’t study the party constitution and are not ready to accommodate party leaders who are with experienced.”
“It against the party constitution to select a candidate where there are many aspirants who had already obtained nomination forms. It is an act of cheating and suppression if you allow party members to spend their money in preparation for an election and later impose someone on them without wide consultation and general agreement.”
“They already knew their own anointed candidates will be selected but wasted the time and resources of others, is that not cheating? It would have been better they tell the people that the party needs money and ask for contribution rather than collecting money from poor party members especially the youths in the name of party primaries.”
“All their authoritarian activities at the party will destroy the party if continued.”
Speaking further, Olopoeyan when asked why he didn’t lend his contribution as an experienced party man, said, those selfish leaders he is referring to, had already ganged up and turned against him, all because he is telling the truth about the party.
He explained that there are some sycophants close to Governor Makinde who had blocked innocent party men and women from telling him the truth about the government and the party.
“Many of us are not happy the way those people in the affairs of Oyo State PDP are running it, there are people out there discrediting our effort in making PDP an unbeatable political party, when we were trying to expand our party tent and structure after winning the election, some leaders with questionable characters got their way by turning Governor Makinde’s mind away from the truth but, we will not relent, PDP is our party, we must make it great.”
“But now, urgent action must be made to restore the party’s glory in the state. We just need to beg NWC under the chairmanship of Chief Uche Secondus to come to our rescue, PDP as a party is collapsing in Oyo state,” Olopoeyan concluded.
