Confusion in Ogun as PDP factions battle over party Secretariat

The Sikirullai Ogundele led executive of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday dislodged the factional chairman, Engr. Bayo Dayo, and his team from the party’s state Secretariat on IBB Boulevard, Abeokuta and occupied the building.

Ogundele and other members of the newly elected executives stormed the Secretariat by noon and sacked junior workers employed by the factional executives and other people found at the facility, triggering confusion as the affected workers caught unaware scampered for safety.

Armed Policemen and others suspected to be Operatives of the Department of State Security Service(DSS) were also sighted at the area to ensure peace and orderliness.

And while taking over the party, Ogundele led executives were also joined by ex- Local Government chairmen and other prominent party leaders in the state.

This brings to a close, Bayo Dayo and his team loyal to Senator Buruji Kashamu, almost six years reign
at the state Secretariat of the PDP.

The members of the new executives led by Hon Sikirullai Ogundele were elected into office last Saturday during the state Congress conducted by Electoral Committee led by Mr. Eddy Olafeso, who is the Chairman of Sout-West zone of the party.

Ogundele who spoke journalists lamented the looting and vandalising the party property, saying over five million naira equipment such as computers, fans among others have been vandalized and stolen.

“We have only come to take over the PDP property in accordance to the directive we got from Abuja that, every property of the party which is mainly the secretariat must be taken care of and we have just come to peacefully take over the secretariat.

“If you can remember vividly, I have once said it that at the appropriate time the security operatives will do their job and the take over and the secretariat will be taken care of.

“We the executives of the PDP in Ogun with the ex-Local Government chairmen and other prominent party members have only come here to take over the secretariat so that we can move the party forward.

“The disgruntled miscreant that has been kept here before now has just been sent out .

“No form of resistance, no problem infact we came in singing and dancing, we have decided to run a decent, united and peaceful party and for those who are aggrieved, we would extend the hand of fellowship to them.

” We would call them and we would do it together. We must just take over this state from the hands of the APC administration that is known for running a penny wise pounds foolish policy .

“We have just inspected the secretariat and we have noticed looting and vandalization of party equipment at least about N5 naira worth of equipment has been stolen and vandalized.

“We are going to take legal actions against them but we are going to await the instruction of our national secretariat and proper legal advice,” Ogundele said.

But reacting, the Publicity Secretary of Bayo Dayo – led factional executive, Bolaji Adeniji, described Ogundele and his executive members as dissident group.

Bolaji deplored the take over of the party Secretariat, saying it was an “invasion.”

He vowed that the Engr Bayo Dayo executive that has the statutory mandate between 2016 up to 2020 would return back to court to enforce its fundamental rights and retrieve the Secretariat from Ogundele and his camp.

“We learnt of the invasion of the secretariat by the dissident group in Ogun PDP. You will recall sometimes that there was an ongoing case at the state magistrate’s court where members of the erstwhile caretaker committee were there for contempt of court for parading themselves as the executives of the party.

“After that, there was an order of the magistrate court that prevented the conduct of any congress in Ogun State and that the police and the DSS should arrest, prosecute and investigate anybody found gathering anywhere that would call themselves the executives of the party.

“And I think in defiance of that order, which is now the modus operandi of this dissident group, they went and conducted congresses on Saturday. And this afternoon, we learnt that they invaded the party secretariat with truck load of touts and chased away the staff of the secretariat and pretending that they’ve taken over the secretariat. It is impunity of the most sordid manner.

“Definitely, the Engr Adebayo Dayo executive that has the statutory mandate between 2016 up to 2020 would return back to court to enforce its fundamental rights.

“We are going to challenge this; this cannot stand, it is illegality and it cannot stand. In the face of the constitution of our party, it cannot stand because there is a judgement of the Federal High Court that says that Engr Adebayo Dayo exco subsists until 2020. Also, a ruling of a magistrate court that says nobody should hold congress in Ogun State and nobody else should parade themselves as executives of the party in Ogun State. None of the judgement has been vitiated and therefore, none of these rulings have been appealed.

“Therefore, what right does this group have to have invaded the secretariat in such manner and claim to be executives of PDP in Ogun State. So, nothing has changed,” Bolaji said.

Source: NAN