Chief Bisi Olopoeyan, A chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo state have said the anointed acndidate of the oyo state governor doesn’t possess the requisites to vie for any post in pdp as at the moment.
The politician said nothing anyone could do to deter him for from following the Eddy Olafeso to the last minuite despite having a candidate from his own state.
Olopoeyan added that, thou, he is not interested in governor Makinde’s zonal Chairmanship candidates but ambassador Taofeek Arapaja was a wrong choice for Oyo state governor’s faction. He said Arapaja who recently rejoined the PDP had defected to three political parties within the spate of six years that he left PDP. He decamped to Accord party in 2014, to APC in 2017 and later to ADC.
He explained further that for governor Makinde to have singlehandedly chosen a returnee who has not spent at least a year in the party to contest for a position is a clear evidence that he is trying to turn PDP into his own private organization where he can make self decision without documented guiding principles.
” If governor Makinde had studied PDP constitution very well, he wouldn’t have chosen ambassador Arapaja as his faction’s zonal Chairmanship candidate. Arapaja is not yet qualified to hold a position in PDP, he came back to the party on March 19, 2020, we all welcome him and other defectors back to PDP after they had went to different political parties. Even welcoming him at Mapo rally was not effective for him to say that he had joined PDP officially. According to section 8a and b of the party Constitution (2017 as amended), it stated that, ( 8) A person who desires to rejoin the party after leaving it shall : (a) Apply to his Ward Secretary for re-admission; and (b) Unless given waiver by the National Working Committee, be placed on probation for a period of not less than one year.
“So, Arapaja only came to Mapo PDP rally on March 19, 2020, he rejoined PDP officially late last year. Am sure he didnt even wrote an application letter to the secretary of his ward in Ibadan Southeast, unless he is going to write it now and backdated it.
” If governor Makinde had consulted experienced party leaders, they will have suggested to him that, Arapaja from his own federal constituency Northeast, Southeast should be out of reasoning. Politics is about getting equal chances and opportunities. It is not proper to have a governor, senator, zonal chairman in the same federal constituency and if he had thought of that, that means he sees his own federal constituency as superior and no party members with rich profile from other constituencies.
” Imagine we have three senatorial in Oyo state, Oyo South, Oyo Central and Oyo North, how reasonable is it to centre all juicy positions only in Oyo south ? What is the fate of other party members from other senatorial districts ?
‘ We had produced governor from Ibadan Northeast, Senator from Ibadan Northeast, Secretary to the State Government ( SSG ) from Ibadan North east, commissioner for Local government and chieftaincy matter from same Ibadan North east, now picking zonal chairman from Ibadan Southeast also zonal women leader from Ibadan Southwest, everything is from 4 local government areas of Ibadan that added up Oyo south. Is there no qualified party members from Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibarapa ? Are the party members in those area not qualified or are inconsequential members of Oyo PDP ?
If not that governor Seyi Makinde has alterior motive for singlehandedly chosen Arapaja without widely consultation, I think his intention is to seized the structure of the party in southwest, so if tomorrow he want to dump the party, he will go with zonal chairman and some exco.
” Am sure if we allowed governor Makinde to have his way, his plan is to get the party structure so as he can use it to disgrace the party at the southwest level anytime he decided to leave the party.
” It is a future plan, he want to installs his political followers so as to get the party structure and begins to decide at his own will, if tomorrow he want to move out of PDP, his installed zonal chairman and exco will easily move with him, am saying this because Arapaja has always open to defection.
” If care is not taking, our governor will finally weaken PDP in southwest states for opposition to gain and regain power. It is high time governor Makinde separated state administration from party administration, you cant decide to run the two simultaneously and have good results.
Olopoeyan used the opportunity to urged National Working Committee ( NWC ) of the party, led by Chief Secondus to rescue the party in Southwest before governor Makinde and his cohorts starts using self interests to ridicule the party and it constitution.
