2023 Election: Suspended PDP Chieftains In Osun Write Atiku, Ayu

Some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suspended in Osun State weeks ago have written to the leadership of the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Naija News recalls that the party chieftains who hailed from Ayedaade Local Government Area of the State were suspended over alleged anti-party activities.

They are mapped as sympathisers of Dotun Babayemi, the suspended Osun PDP chieftain who had formed a faction in the state.

However, in a petition signed by the Secretary of the PDP Elders Forum, Segun Odekunmi, and seven other party stakeholders in the state, the suspended members warned of dire consequences of having a divided house in Osun ahead of the 2023 polls.

According to them, the activities of the Adekunle Akindele-led caretaker committee could jeopardise the party’s chances of winning the 2023 presidential elections.

Naija News understands that the petition titled “Re: Complaints Against the Illegal Suspension of Party Leaders from Ayedaade Local Government of Osun State By the State Caretaker Committee, Pursuant to Articles 57 & 61 of Peoples Democratic Party’s Constitution of 2017(Amended)”, was addressed to Atiku and the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and all members of the National Working Committee of the party.

“Our party has the chance of winning all the elections at the next general elections only in the atmosphere of unity and mutual respect for one another. We hope the National Working Committee of our party will timeously intervene to correct this anomaly in the interest of the party so that this untoward action will not consume our party in the forthcoming elections,” the petition read.

The suspended party members also accused the Osun PDP caretaker committee of witch-hunting them because of their unrepentant support for the gubernatorial aspiration of Dotun Babayemi.

They described the anti-party allegations against them as baseless and ludicrous, stating that they could not but support the aspirant who hailed from their area council.

They said: “We want to state clearly that the allegations were baseless and cannot be substantiated with any material facts by our traducers in the party. We say with all sense of responsibility that Prince Oyedotun Babayemi hails from our local government, and we have a moral duty to support his ambition.

“Supporting Babayemi’s ambition never connoted anti-party. We have worked tirelessly and assiduously for the party’s success as we believed he would win at the law court.

“Suspending members of the party at a time the elections were drawing nearer is capable of creating doubts in the minds of PDP members and could adversely dim the chances of the party at the 2023 polls if not urgently addressed.”

Other signatories to the petition include Adelani Ajanaku, Kehinde Adesiyan, Mayowa Adegboye, Aliyu Adeyanju, Kamorudeen Ojo Elegunmeje, Ajayi Solomon and Munurudeen Adekunle.