The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has officially sworn in a new Caretaker Committee chaired by Honorable Abiodun Awoleye with a mandate to reconcile all interests and reposition the party for future electoral victories.
Barrister Gbenga Kukoyi, the south west zonal legal adviser administered the of oath of office and allegiance to the new caretaker committee of the party in Ogun state at its zonal office in Ibadan on August 8.
This followed Awoleye’s appointment alongside other members of the Caretaker committee by the National Headquarters of the party in Abuja.
Other members of the Committee include Barrister Oladipo Ogunnibi as Secretary, while members are Alhaji Semiu Sodipo, Hon. Taiwo Akinfenwa, Mr. Afolabi Orekoya, Otunba Remi Odubote, Hon. Boye Adesina, Alhaja Jemilat Alagbe, Hon. Dimeji Fabiyi, Hon. Kayode Olurin, Hon. Seun Salisu, Otunba Sarafadeen Abiodun Awotunde, and Chief Dapo Ayodele.
The swearing in ceremony also witnessed key stakeholders including the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election, Chief Ladi Adebutu, his deputy governorship candidate, Ogun state House of Assembly members, and other key party stalwarts in attendance.
Awoleye, a former member of Oyo Assembly and Federal House of Representatives, former Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on State Primary Healthcare and currently the Chairman, Oyo state Primary Healthcare Board, vowed to be guided by the Constitution of the party to reconcile and unite all diverse political interests and tendencies within the party in Ogun.
In his brief inaugural address after the official inauguration of the caretaker committee, Hon. Awoleye who stressed that the committee expect total cooperation of all stakeholders solicited the support of all party leaders and stalwarts in the state towards the actualization of the mandate set out.
While noting that the internal crisis rocking the Ogun state chapter of the party was less compared to what Oyo state chapter experienced, Awoleye said Governor Seyi Makinde who is the leader of the party in the state and the entire south west was able to achieve tremendous success in terms of reconciliation and harmonization all political interests through inclusivity, pragmatic leadership, and good governance.
He assured of a level playing ground for all political interests and tendencies with a view to repositioning the PDP in Ogun state for future elections and electoral victories, emphasizing the need for all stakeholders to place party interest above all contradicting personal interests.
Awoleye, who expressed his appreciations to the national leadership of PDP for the trust and confidence reposed in him to chair the Ogun state caretaker committee, noted that the news of his appointment got to him as a surprise but assured that his mind was later put at rest after he contacted and spoke with several party stakeholders in Ogun state.
“I’m happy to be appointed into this position, when I heard of the news that I will come and chair the Caretaker committee for Ogun state PDP, it came to me as a surprise but when I got down to action especially when I started making contact with stakeholders, my mind was put at rest, and why? Because in my conversation with stakeholders, even before today, I realized that every stakeholder has the desire to win back Ogun state for the party.
“That alone gave me rest of mind, and that alone had given our leaders especially at the national headquarters that we will win back Ogun state. The mandate we have here according to the part 4 of the PDP Constitution, Section 21(2) (a and b) that birthed this committee gives us the opportunity to operate for three months but at the headquarters, they’ve given us a matching order and they would have loved that finish this assignment within a month.
“And when they said this, how do we work out this? and I’ve discovered that we politicians because of interests and tendencies, we can not but disagree but when I spoke with stakeholders, I discovered that the disagreements that we might have had in Ogun state PDP is not even as thick as what we had in Oyo state, which means our job will be easy.
“I’m particularly happy today that I’m seeing the timbers and calibers, the Iroko and mahogany of Ogun state PDP. Our leaders are here and I want to believe what I said initially is paramount in everybody’s mind that Ogun state come 2027 to become a PDP state. I always say it, that I don’t like failing but somebody would say failure is part of life, but in this kind of assignment, I can not afford to fail. Together with this caliber of caretaker committee that I’m seeing, we can not fail and we will not fail by God’s grace.
“I want a situation in 2027 whereby, I will raise my head high as the chairman of the caretaker committee that put in place the structures in Ogun state and they have achieved that victory so, that I can come to Ogun state the following Monday for merry making, and that can only be achieved when we all close ranks. There’s urgent need for us to close ranks.
“We’re not going to practice winners take all, we’re going to preach inclusivity. My Governor in Oyo state here, was able to solve internal crisis within the party as a result of inclusivity. For example, we recently had our local government elections we had to appoint supervisory Councillors and Special Assistants and would you believe that even people that are not in PDP that we knew worked with us were given slots for supervisory Councillors.” Hon. Awoleye said.
Awoleye however, appealed to all aggrieved stakeholders in Ogun state to join hands with the committee to reposition the party assuring that nobody would be left behind in the entire process.
Earlier in his brief address, the National Vice Chairman (South West) zone of the PDP, Chief Kamorudeen Ajisafe expressed confidence in the leadership of the new Awoleyele led caretaker committee and urged all stakeholders to endeavour to work with the party for the needed transformation and repositioning ahead of future elections.
He emphasized the need for unity in the party stressing that no party goes into any election with a divided house and expect victory in the end saying: “there’s no way you want to go into an election divided and win. It’s never possible. And that has been my prayer for our party in Ogun state to be united and I’m happy that today, either by party’s action or inaction, they’ve been able to bring all interests and tendencies together under one roof.”
Also speaking, leader of the party in Ogun state and governorship candidate of PDP in the 2023 gubernatorial election, Chief Ladi Adebutu, commended the party leadership under its former chairman, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele for an impressive showing at the polls noting that even though PDP was robbed of its deserved victory, it was expedient to acknowledge efforts of the party in the whole electoral process.
He stressed the need for all hands to be on deck in the process of repositioning the party, assuring the newly inaugurated caretaker committee of his unalloyed support and cooperation towards the actualization of its mandate. He stated that he has devoted all his life to serving the people of Ogun state and Nigeria as a nation and would continue to do so for the rest of his life regardless of threats that may deter him from doing so.
Adebutu reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Caretaker Committee under the chairmanship of Hon. Awoleyele to achieve the party’s objectives and to address the challenges facing Ogun State chapter of PDP.
Other prominent Ogun states PDP stakeholders present including Leader of the Minority Caucus of Ogun state House of Assembly, Honorable Lukman Adeleye acknowledged the need for all members of the party across all levels to come together in the interest of PDP to work with the caretaker committee.
They equally expressed their support for the new leadership. Adebutu, in his address, emphasized the importance of unity and strategic planning in fortifying the party’s position within the state.
Other prominent PDP stakeholders in the zone present at the inauguration include the National Organizing Secretary, Hon. Umar Bature, South West zonal Women Leader, Alhaja Bose Adedibu, member of Oyo state House of Assembly,Hon. Comforter Olajide, members of Oyo state PDP working committee led by the state secretary,Alhaji Wasiu Adeleke, representatives of PDP in Lagos and other South West states.
