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“What does it profit you Sir, to abandon your children and allow by default the perpetration of anti-youth employment policy as graphicised in the current 2018 budget to continue? God forbid. You and I will not allow it, and the millions of youths who are pining away in abject lack in spite of going to school and who were deceived to being foot soldiers in 2015 will obviously resist it legitimately. And this is why Sir, that the prospect of leaving the party is not an option”.
Those were the words of Oyo state Governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Seyi Makinde, appealing to leader of the party in the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, not to dump the party.
Ladoja over the weekend threatened to leave the party over what he described as the return of impunity. The former governor is unhappy with the harmonisation of the state executive list said to have been prepared by the national leadership of the party.
READ: I am ready to dump PDP – Ladoja
In a statement issued by Prince Dotun Oyelade, spokesman of the Seyi Makinde Organisation, Makinde reminded the former governor of his “leadership role and the collective desire of Oyo state people for a change of baton come 2019”.
The release quoted Makinde as saying: “I am privileged to be referred to as one of your political sons and which you yourself confirmed on a radio programme two days ago. Therefore as a true son of a valiant father, I hereby humbly but strongly appeal to you not to contemplate leaving the house that we are jointly trying to roof, just before the raining season”
Makinde said that such a decision, coming from a tested leader will leave the people confused because “majority of party members and indeed the masses in Oyo state are already excited about the prospect of genuine regime change that will fulfill its electoral promises and respect Institutions and elders”.
According to the statement, “the issue of harmonisation of party executives which is being blown out of proportion, appears to be the harmonisation appeared to be the most realistic arrangement to actualise the party’s objective because political expediency narratives are determined by circumstances on the ground.”
It added: “In our own party, the PDP at the National level learnt a bitter lesson from 2015 debacle where only one tendency was saddled with control of the party hence it became imperative for the National Working Committee to ensure an all- inclusive state executive is put in place to avoid going to war with a divided army. Like others, who desire Positive change via PDP under your Leadership in state I strongly believe no single tendency can do it all alone”.