Controversy trails Southwest PDP congress

Controversy continues to trail the South West zonal congresses organised by two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akure, Ondo State capital, and Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, on Saturday.
One of the party elders and erstwhile South West Chairman of the party in the zone, Chief Olabode George, had in a goodwill message, declared his support for the Akure congress organized by Governors Olusegun Mimiko and Ayodele Fayose.
However, Ondo State factional chairman of the party, Dr. Olu Ogunye, has said that there was no congress in the zone and dismissed the congress that was presided over by the two governors, saying the exercise was in futility as the court had stopped it.
Ogunye, who attended the PDP South West congress held in Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State organized by Senator Buruji, maintained that he is the Ondo State chairman of the PDP recognized by law, declaring the presentation of Clement Faboyede as the state party chairman by Governor Mimiko as illegal.
But Ogun State PDP chair, Chief Olawale Ogundele declared that the Akure congress was the authentic one, saying, “We have credible, upright, responsible and responsive governors as leaders in the zone. I see nobody of any questionable personality to challenge the credibility of the congress,” he said.He declared that the purported court injunction to stop the PDP congress was obtained through the backdoor.


Meanwhile, former internal affairs minister and a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Comrade Abba Moro, yesterday appealed to the leaders of the party to embrace dialogue and come together to resolve the crisis rocking the party.
Moro, who made the appeal in Abuja at the weekend, added that this is the time for the PDP members to be united more than ever before, instead of engaging in unnecessary conflicts that could cause serious damage to the fortunes of the party.
In Rivers, state chapter of the PDP said it has uncovered an alleged plot by some candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Oyigbo, Eleme, Tai Federal Constituency and Rivers South/East Senatorial District respectively in the March 19, 2016 re-run elections to stampede the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to release results for the four Ogoni Local Government Councils, where elections did not hold in March this year.
State PDP chairman, Felix Obuah through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam said, “We are not raising alarm because we are afraid of anybody but this has to be made public so that these plotters will know that there is no way we will allow the abominable act to succeed.