Dear Olorogun,
WHERE LIES YOUR LEADERSHIP PROWESS AS PDP GOES INTO POLLS IN SOUTH WEST?
It becomes pertinent for me, first as a long standing, committed and loyal friend of yours, and lately, as a strong and ardent member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State to express my views on the current happens in the fold of PDP as opposition political party in our Sunshine State.
Olorogun, my joy know no bound when you finally won the protracted legal battle that greeted your election to the exalted position of South West chairman of yet to be displaced largest political party in black Africa, the PDP, even when it was my own faction of the party that lost the supremacy battle.
Not that I was not loyal to the group then, led by former Brono State governor, Alhaji Alimodu Sheriff, my personal disposition towards your personality, your eloquent and vigour, coupled with track record of human and resource management skills, naturally attracted me to you in supporting your leadership one hundred percent against my political linage and faction.
And since then, my honourable former commissioner for Information, I have been watching you closely on the job, even at my silence and sitdon look mode after the October 26, 2016 Governorsship Election and the attendant events thereafter.
However, after the exit of our common political obstacle from the darling party, that is former Governor Olusegun Rahman Mimiko who has since returned to his labouring and harbouring party, I believe that the ball has finally fell in your court for you to take charge as leader, now not only in Ondo State, but in the six states of Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Osun and Lagos.
This task in enormous no doubt, but as a well knowledge and international scholar of repute in human management, I won’t need anybody to convince me further that you’re equal to the task and best man for this unique national assignment at this critical period of our nation.
But all these my glowing expectations from you were short-lived just immediately after the court gave you the constitutional power to lead the South West arm of the party as your leadership at no time since then, make any known effort or physical move to reconciliate and reunite with the Senator Prince Buruji Kashamu led faction in the region. And for your information Sir, which I know you’re aware of, that faction is till very much causing serious setback and pulling down the rising profile of PDP in all the states of South West, especially in Ogun state. This singular action of Buruji faction will definitely rob the party the freeway to take back the Gateway state in the fast approaching election.
Sir, my main cruix with you over the dangerous trend in PDP, especially in Ondo State, as we’re approaching a very crucial and critical election which prompted me to write this letter to you is the bumper harvest of defectors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) right under your nose and at the very same roof of yours. This to me, is the very peak of failed leadership, uncoordinated and weak political structure and a sorry state of party management.
Sorry Sir, if my choice of words is not good enough, but am trying to be modest and at the same time, pouring my whole heart and soul into letting you see tick danger ahead of us as we are going into both the February 16 and March 2 elections: we must tell ourselves home grown truth in order to face the reality on ground.
I will start from your very own base and constituency in Okitipupa where your representative and lawmaker representing Okitipupa/ Irele Federal Constituency, Hon Mike Omogbehin has just resigned his membership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
I felt very bad and wish it never happened, but, alas, it has happened and our darling and best performing House of Reps member in the whole of Ondo State has joined the bandwagon to APC. And in all indications, with what I gathered from known leaders from that side, Eddy Olafeso was instrumental to the lawmaker’s action.
According to the resignation letter personally wrote and signed by Prince Omogbein (Kako) dated January 16, 2019, Omogbehin said he would be joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The letter was addressed to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon, Yakubu Dogara, read: “I wish to inform you that I have formally resigned my membership of the People Democratic Party (PDP), in an earlier letter to the chairman of my ward. “My over seventeen years unflinching loyalty and passion, as well as the passion of overwhelming majority of the good people of my constituency for the party is dead.
”I’m therefore very pleased to inform you that I have decided to agree with my people in pitching my tent with the All Progressives Congress (APC), in continuation of my political journey.”
I found it difficult to believe this information until I personally spoke to Prince Omogbein and he confirmed it. I wept and felt sorry for our great party which we were only trying to revive from comatose after the heavy lost in 2015 and 2016 elections.
My findings revealed that you, Olorogun, deliberately schemed the sitting honourable out of the primaries that produced the PDP candidate for the House of Representatives ticket of your Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency because you didn’t like the face of our dear Okitipupa prince who everyone adjudged the most performing representative in the history of popular representation in that Constituency.
And to put salt on the injury melted upon the honourable, it was reported that you also used all the available powers within your reach to fraustrate the automatic membership of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council that the serving member of National Assembly should enjoy at the national level of the party and again, gave him no role to play even within the state lower campaign council. This is unimaginable and absurd way to treat a serving MHR.
These your actions are condemnable in whatever eye or side you want to look at it and clearly undermine the tenent of popular participating democracy where the people (party men in this case), are allowed to elect their candidate. This was excertly what a leader did in Lagos that attracted condemnation from well-being Nigerians.
In the running battle for the Senatorial ticket in the Southern District too, I also learnt that you used your position to forcefully imposed on the party, the candidacy of a lame duck and political imbecile, in person of former commissioner for Transportation, Nicholas Tofowomo
whom all of us know he cannot win a councilor seat in his ward in IleOluji, not to talk of one local government of the six councils he will be contesting.
Like you rightly know, my chairman, Hon. Omogbein is not a push over when it comes to politics of Southern Senatorial District, and Ondo State in general. He was a committed party man, loyal to a fault. During late Governor Olusegun Agagu administration, he was so frustrated to the level that, I personally approached him as a friend and told him to pack his baggage and leave the state to find a better thing to do elsewhere, rather than turning into a nuisance just because of playing politics and not want to offend a leader. It was as bad as that. Such a man does not deserve this shameful way you pushed him out of the party after seventeen years of unbroken, steadfast and never say die loyalty.
Again, some vibrant, strong, resilent, young and agile party members are now leaving in doves. People like: Segun Odidi, Oluwole Molehin (Obesurutu) , so much more space won’t allow me to mention, all on same excuse and allegations of bad leadership and selfihness.
Even, the gubernatorial candidate of the party in the 2016 Governorship poll in the state, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) is not to be absorbed from the costly bad leadership syndrome mitigating against the success of PDP as opposition political party in Ondo State, as his action and inaction since the last election gives room to doubt his worthiness of the leadership role places on his hands.
The Clement Faborode led executive has a large portion of the blame game too, with the inability of the chairman to reconciliation and reunite all factions including: PDP Gbasibe (Mimiko faction that didn’t go with him to Zenith Labour Party, including Fabo himself), the Konigba- 1 or Authentic -Jimoh Ibrahim faction and Konigba 2- The Aborigin or Agagu faction.
Even after some of us who were key players at one point of a time in the factions, came back and pledged our loyalty and readiness to work with the Faborode ecxo, many were treated like a leper who must to be touched with a ten yards long pole, while those who managed to go near the secratriat were given non relevant roles to play, like the former chairman of the party, Hon. Ebenezer Alabi.
Not until all these members in the three groups come together as one indivisible family, and have their fair shares in the party formation and day to day running of it affairs, only then can we have a strong and reliable front to face the coming election.
Yours truly,
YEMI AKINTOMIDE
Former Director of Media/Publicity
Authentic PDP,
Ondo State.
