Elders, Leaders Condemn Ayu For Ratifying Lagos PDP Congress Despite Complaints

LAGOS - Elders, leaders and stakeholders of Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have condemned the party’s national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, for ratifying the last congress held in the state, expressing shock and absolute disappointment that the PDP boss “like an autocrat, disregarded any attempt at plural contributions, appropriating what ought to be a collective decision in a brazen proprietary authority.”

It would be recalled that the exercise, which was conducted on February 26, 2022, by the Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri- led Committee became the subject of dispute, leading to party leaders, including former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, amongst others approaching the party’s Congress Appeal Committee for intervention and resolution.

The PDP chieftains made this condemnation in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting on Thursday in Lagos and signed by Dr. Remi Akitoye, Senator Kofo Akerele-Bucknor and Chief (Mrs) Onikepo-Oshodi, saying that Ayu, by ratifying what had been universally condemned as a flawed Congress, behaved like a sole administrator, contemptuous of the sobering voices of the Southwest representatives.

The leaders said Ayu took the decision to unilaterally approve the flawed State Congress despite various petitions emanating from the aspirants, the Board of Trustees (BOT) members, the Caretaker Committee and the concerned individuals which substantiated the fact that the exercise was a brazen sham.

According to them, the PDP national chairman hardly demonstrated the requisite gravitas and the innate democratic accommodation of a good leader, noting that “reports from INEC, the Appeal Committee, the BOT Elders, the Caretaker Committee and other quarters were all unanimous about the untidy, flawed and the inconclusive nature of the botched Congress.”

“The elders, the leaders and the stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State met on Thursday, March 31st to deliberate on the purported ratification of the February 26th botched state Congress by Dr Iyorchia Ayu, PDP National Chairman. Having deliberated exhaustively on the issue, the elders, the leaders and the stakeholders hereby unanimously resolve:

“We are shocked, absolutely disappointed and stricken with disbelief that Dr Iyorchia Ayu arrogantly dismissed the collective essence of the National Working Committee, capriciously behaved like an autocrat, disregarded any attempt at plural contributions, appropriating what ought to be a collective decision in a brazen proprietary authority.

“Dr Ayu behaved like a sole administrator, contemptuous of the sobering voices of the Southwest representatives.

“Dr Ayu hardly demonstrated the requisite gravitas and the innate democratic accommodation of a good leader as he hastily ignored everyone and purportedly ‘ratified’ what has been universally condemned as a flawed Congress.

“Despite various petitions emanating from the aspirants, the BOT members, the Caretaker Committee and the concerned individuals which substantiated the fact that the congress was a brazen sham, Dr Ayu still disregarded the various voices of reason.

“The reports from INEC, the Appeal Committee, the BOT elders, the Caretaker Committee and other quarters were all unanimous about the untidy, flawed and inconclusive nature of the botched Congress,” the PDP elders and leaders said.

“Dr. Ayu, in his wisdom, cast aside this cumulative weight of evidence, hastened in contemptuous indifference to the truth, jettisoned what is right and just, flung away the constitutional pivot of our party which is anchored on justice and fairness doctrine,” they added.

The PDP chieftains said they were dismayed, sickened and sad that there was a desperate attempt to destabilize Lagos State and render the Yoruba race inconsequential in the scheme of things, and very close to an election year, even as they noted that the state alone had the largest electoral figures in the nation.

The party chieftain, however, vowed to challenge in the court of law what they described as “this grave injustice,” saying they “have ascertained and were convinced that there is a well planned, premeditated attempt to hand over our state to fifth columnists whose mission is unknown, whose purpose is shrouded in an ultimate goal that appears to be an attempt to weaken the party.”

“We will never roll over and fade away. We will fight this injustice with temperance and sure-footedness. We reject outrightly this failed attempt to impose on the majority of our members a botched, inconclusive Congress that has no legality in law and no iota of legitimacy in the moral sense,” they vowed.

“The injustice done to Lagos seems to be aligned with a very dangerous pattern to elbow out the people of the Southwest from the high table at the PDP conclave.

“Finally, we do not and we will not recognize the shambolic contraption they are trying to rig up in Lagos. We will continue this struggle until the wrongs are rectified and until Justice eventually prevails,” they further vowed.