Osun PDP Internal Rift Hots Up

• Pressure On Adagunodo To Resign
• Plot To Suspend Ogunbiyi Exposed
• Controversy Over Vote-of-No-Confidence On Adagunodo

By Ismaeel Uthman

The internal crisis that is rocking the boat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State of Osun for sometime now is far from being over.

Instead, the crisis is eating deep into the fabrics of the main opposition party in the state amidst gimmicks, desperation, accusations and counter-accusations from the Adeleke dynasty and Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi’s camp of the party.

Following the controversial suspension of the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Hon. Soji Adagunodo by the National Working Committee of the party over alleged malfeasance, anti-party activities and misappropriation of fund, the political tempos of the two camps have intensified.

Adagunodo, who is believed to be favourite to the Dr. Ogunbiyi camp, was said to have been removed to pave way for the South-West Secretaryship ambition of a staunch supporter of the Adeleke dynasty group, Reverend Bunmi Jenyo and the governorship ambition of Senator Ademola Adeleke in the long-run.

OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered yesterday that Adagunodo’s suspension on the same allegations he had earlier been absolved from was allegedly orchestrated by Jenyo; South-West Chairman of the PDP, Dr Eddy Olafeso; and the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus.

A member of the State Working Committee in the PDP disclosed to the medium that Adagunodo was removed to hold the grip of all the delegates of the party to the South-West congress, in which Jenyo would be contesting for the secretaryship position, which has been negotiated to Lagos State.

According to a PDP SEC member who craved anonymity, Jenyo had to allegedly intimate the Adeleke dynasty group of the party in Osun with the danger of having Adagunodo as the chairman, when the zonal congress was drawing nearer, saying that it would deal a huge blow on their ambitions.

Both Jenyo and Olafeso reportedly spoke with Secondus on the feasibility of removing Adagunodo as chairman of the party in Osun, just as the billionaire Dr. Deji Adeleke allegedly influenced the suspension of the PDP chairman.

However, Adagunodo has been making frantic efforts to absolve himself of the allegations and get reinstated.

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that Adagunodo, who was dissuaded from taking a legal action on his suspension by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, former governor of the State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and other chieftains of the party, is now under pressure to agree to an agreement that he would resign his chairmanship position when he is reinstated as part of political settlement to the crisis.

Two different sources in the PDP confided in the medium that Secondus and some other chieftains of the party have been sending emissaries to Adagunodo for him to agree to settlement terms that included his resignation, after being returned as the chairman.

But Adagunodo is said to be insisting that he desires to pursue his ‘unjust suspension and frivolous allegations’ against him to a logical conclusion legally; where the NEC of the PDP would issue him a clean bill of ‘not-guilty-of-all-the-accusations’ against him.

Controversy Over Vote-of-No-Confidence on Adagunodo

Besides, the PDP SWC has passed a Vote-of-No-Confidence on Adagunodo for allegedly actions inimical to the unity and progress of the party.

However, some members of the party who are sympathetic to Adagunodo’s travails hinted the medium that the SWC was manipulated by Kenyon to take the decision.

Jenyo, according to the PDP members, reportedly told the Acting Chairman of the party, Elder Sunday Atidade that the National Chairman of the party, Secondus wanted the SWC of the party in the state to pass the Vote-of-No-Confidence on Adagunodo.

The PDP members told OSUN DEFENDER that Jenyo threatened Atidade that the PDP NWC would dissolve the SWC if it refused to do the bidding of Secondus.

Consequently, the Vote-of-No-Confidence was passed on Adagunodo early last week.

Reacting to the alleged manipulation by Jenyo on the move, the State Youth Leader of the PDP, Mr. Seyi Bamidele said the allegation was nothing but a mischief and petty attempt to attract sympathy by supporters of Adagunodo.

According to Bamidele, the SWC passed the Vote-of-No-Confidence on Adagundo because of his alleged actions that were inimical to the progress of the party.

Bamidele, in an interview with the medium yesterday said Adagunodo did not hand over the party’s properties and documents to Akanfe after his being sworn in as Acting Chairman of the party.

Refusal to hand over to the Acting Chairman is an unconstitutional act, said Bamidele.

He said: “We believe so much in party supremacy and respect the constitution of the party. Hon Adagunodo has refused to do the needful by doing proper handing over to the Acting Chairman of the party. The vote-of-no-confidence that you are talking about has no dissenting voice whatsoever.

“We are 29 as members of the State Working Committee, and 28 are standing against one person with no single dissenting voice. You need to check out that area. We are not witch-hunting Adagunodo at all. Just that we are telling him to do the needful in accordance with the dictates of the party’s constitution.

Plot To Suspend Ogunbiyi From PDP Exposed

There is an alleged ongoing plan by the Adeleke dynasty camp of the Osun PDP to totally crush the Ogunbiyi group after the successful removal of Adagunodo.

The plan, according to sources in the party, would have Ogunbiyi, who contested the governorship ticket of the party with Adeleke in 2018, suspended from the PDP for alleged anti-party conducts.

According to the sources, the Adeleke group, which is now in control of the State Working Committee of the PDP was bringing up a petition against Ogunbiyi over his alleged meeting with some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.

Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that some chieftains of the APC had met with Ogunbiyi to persuade him to join the progressive party after he was denied the Osun West Senatorial District ticket, which was earlier promised.

Ogunbiyi attended the meeting with some of PDP chieftains in his camp who have now joined the Adeleke dynasty group.

But the Youth Leader of the PDP dismissed the allegation, describing it as a mere rumour that does not has any iota of truth.

He stated that nobody in the party was planning to suspend Ogunbiyi, even as he called on the PDP stalwart to come forward and identify with the party.

Bamidele said it is not a good practice to sit on the fence when party members are taking steps and definite stands towards the progress of the party.

Our Signatures Were Forged, We Remain With Ogunbiyi – Field Officers

Four field officers of the Ogunbiyi group who were said to have defected to the Adeleke camp have come out to state that their signatures were forged in a desperate move to deceive members of the PDP in the state.

According to the field officers, their signatures were forged by the leadership of the Adeleke camp to scale up the number of the people that joined the camp.

The four field officers are Hon Dimeji Ogundare from Atakunmosa Local Government, Hon Dolapo Taiwo from Ejigbo Local Government, Engr. Adesewo Otegbayo from Ilesa East Local Government and Hon. Busayo Akinsuyan from Oriade Local Government.

They expressed concerns over what they described as large-scale forgery by the Adeleke camp of the party, just as they stated that they were not parties to the press conference and should be counted out of the equation.

According to them, those responsible for the signature forgery did it to boost Adeleke’s false sense of dominance and ego, adding that their heads should be buried in shame, as the act has brought to the fore the grand scale of identity theft and forgery the camp is known for.