In spite of the ongoing leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, the chapter has vowed to reclaim power from the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2018 governorship election in the state.
The rival groups of the state chapter of the PDP have been claiming leadership of the party since its recent congresses held to elect its executives at the ward, local government and state levels.
A faction of the party had elected Mr. Soji Adagunodo as the new chairman of the party during the last state congress, boycotted by another faction, which described the entire process as a “charade.”
Adagunodo had emerged from a faction backed by the National Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Wale Oladipo, while a former university lecturer, Dr. Bayo Faforiji, was being positioned for the chairmanship position by the Senator Iyiola Omisore-led faction.
But the leaders of the two factions, who spoke with our correspondent on the phone on Tuesday, stated that the opposing camps in the Osun PDP had embarked on peace moves to pave the way for the party to claim victory against the ruling APC in 2018.
While he insisted that the PDP in Osun had no existing executives, Faforiji said he had sensitised members of his camp to embrace unity to enable the party to take over the state in the next elections.
He said, “The party has been making moves to make peace and ensure unity in Osun PDP and I have been sensitising my people in order for the party to triumph in 2018.
“But I would like to emphasise that there is no leadership for the party at present. We have not had any congress that would produce the party executives and the case is currently in court. But, as a stakeholder, I am in support of unity in the party.”
Speaking in the same vein, the factional chairman of the party, Adagunodo, expressed optimism that the PDP would reclaim the state in 2018, stressing that the people of the state were already tired of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola- led administration.
On efforts to reposition the opposition party ahead of the 2018 governorship poll, Adagunodo, a former House of Assembly member, said his camp had commenced peace moves by meeting with leaders of the PDP in Osun.
He said, “We have started speaking with our leaders and they are in support of this unity and peace move. With the level of suffering Osun people are subjected to, we are optimistic that we will reclaim this state.
“The APC government in Osun has pauperised its citizens and the people are already yearning for change.”
He added that strategies had been put in place to take advantage of the “bad policies” of the present APC government to take over governance in the state in 2018.
Speaking further on the crisis arising from last congresses of the PDP in Osun, Adagunodo attributed the problem within the party to conflict of interest and assured that the PDP would come together to end the ruling APC’s menace in the state in 2018.
“We have aggrieved people. They are angry and the party will do everything within its power to ensure that it looks into whatever their grievances are so as to have an all-inclusive relationship with the party, because we cannot do it alone. The reconciliatory move is on course,” he said.
