Osun PDP Crisis: Ijesa Elders Caucus back Adagunodo

By Sunday Oguntuyi, Osogbo

Amid the lingering crisis in the Osun chapter of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the suspension of embattled chairman of the party in the state, Prince Soji Adagunodo, the Ijesa Elders’ Caucus of the party has urged National Working Committee of the party to set aside its decision compelling him to step aside as the Chairman of the party in Osun.

The elders’ caucus in a communique signed by High Chief Dele Faseru, Deputy Chairman and Convener, Ijesaland PDP Elders’ Caucus after an emergency meeting held on the order of the leader and Chairman, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, on Tuesday, gave cogent reasons why Adagunodo should remain the party Chairman till the end of his tenure.

At the meeting attended by party leaders in Atakunmosa West, Atakunmosa East, Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Obokun and Oriade Local Government areas, the party elders pleaded with the NWC to kindly resolve this issue amicably by setting aside the step aside order on Adagunodo.

They however, promised their unalloyed support for the party leadership for the maintenance and sustenance of the unity, stability and renewed electoral successes of the party in Osun State and in the rest of the country.

The Ijesalans PDP Elders’ caucus further enjoined the national leadership to, as a matter of urgency, to set machinery in motion to wade in into some undercurrent internal crisis within the party in Osun State to enable the party to improve on past successes.

This, according to them, will go a long way to “put us as a Party in a good stead for electoral successes ahead of the 2022 and 2023 elections.

“The meeting deliberated extensively on the issues raised in the letter of step aside alleging ‘malefeasance, maladministration and anti-party activities’ and we found out that all the allegations were indeed spurious.

“But that is not the core concern of the Ijesa PDP Elders’ Caucus at the moment. Our interest is the sustainance of the unity of purpose, stability and ultimate electioneering success of the party in the State, especially that we are mindful of the fact that in no time, another rounds of elections are around the corner,” the elders said.

“The PDP Elders in Ijesaland and across the State are fully aware of the general pulse of the polity that are positively on the side of our party. Hence, the current toxic situation requires careful management so we will not fall foul political profligacy and tactlessness.

“It is also on record that Hon. Soji Adagunodo has served the party diligently since assumption of office since 25th of March, 2018 with strings of electoral successes.

“In 2017, our party defeated the then sitting Governor and a fellow Ijesa compatriot at the Osun West Senatorial Bye election of July 8th, 2017 which produced Senator Ademola Adeleke. The results of the 2018 Gubernatorial election under his watch is in the public domain as testimonial of remarkable efforts which were thwarted by the judicial technicalities of the Appellate and Supreme courts.

“It is also important to let you know that the leadership of our party under Hon. Olasoji Adagunodo took our party from a deficit electoral defeat of over 100,000 votes when PDP was in power at the centre with all the machineries of government to a winning political party against the incumbent APC government with over 300+ votes before that inglorious declaration of inconclusiveness during the governorship polls of September 22nd, 2018, the rest is history.

“Subsequently, during the 2019 General Elections, the Senatorial Candidate of the PDP (Senator Adenigba Fadahunsi) was returned victorious. The Federal House of Representatives from his home Federal constituency, Hon. Oluwole Oke was also returned. To cap it all, one of the three PDP House of Assembly members in the State is from Obokun State Constituency. Hon. Soji Adagunodo hails from all these three political strongholds.”