Lagos PDP battles to heal nagging wounds
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State recently chose its State Executive Committee (SEC) members through consensus and harmonisation in a deliberate move to heal wounds. However, the step had barely resolved the lingering division within the
House of Assembly, Mr. Dipo Olorunrinu, described the process as undemocratic.
“While I appreciate the Lagos PDP Congress Committee sent from the national headquarters for the conduct of the congress, if I will rate them, I will rate them under 40 per cent. Selection of leaders in politics has to do with congress. When the committee brought in harmonisation, a large number of people did not accept that approach. There is a big problem with the approach of harmonisation through which the state executives emerged because the people are aggrieved and angry with such directive,” he said.
Another chieftain of the party, Engr. Auwal Tahir-Maude, expressed reservation over the outcome the congress, saying the harmonisation failed to carry along people who suffered for the party.
“They should have looked at those who worked for the party. I am one of the faces of the party in Agege. They didn’t look at our side at all,” he said.
Another chieftain, Chief Ola Apena, said as far as he was concerned, there was no congress in Lagos State because there was no election. He said with the developments in Lagos which culminated in its dismal outing in the last national convention, the party was far from being united in the state.
Most of the chieftains who spoke with our correspondent however said they were keeping calm to allow peace to reign in the party and give it a new sense of direction.
However, Maude is of the opinion that the newly inaugurated executive should dissipate energy on reconciling aggrieved members who were genuinely committed to the promotion of the party’s ideals.
How Salvador carries along the aggrieved members is strategic to rebuilding and repositioning the party in preparation for future elections.