Just as it is happening at the national level, there seems to be no end to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two factions have also emerged in the Lagos State chapter of the party.
Following the dissolution of the Tunji Shelle led executives, the party had an election on May 14, 2016, which produced a former House of Reps member, Moshood Adegoke Salvador, as the new chairman of the party.
Gani Taofik, the state’s Publicity Secretary, was also returned unopposed to his position.
Salvador, who belonged to the Ahmed Makarfi’s camp, was unanimously elected by majority of the party members in the state who believed that he is the right candidate to reposition the party and lead it to victory in the forthcoming local government election scheduled to hold before the end of 2016 in Lagos.
However, trouble started a week after the election when Chief Segun Adewale, popularly called Aeroland, declared himself as the “authentic state chairman of the party”.
Party leaders said Adewale was installed by the factional national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff.
Aeroland, who said the youths in the party have taken over from the old cabal, urged the media not to grant interviews to the Salvador-led exco again so as not to give them cheap popularity.
According to him, “I am the authentic state chairman of the party. I would like to seize this opportunity to appeal to the media to avoid granting interviews to Mr. Moshood Salvador, Mr. Gani Taofik, or any member of their illegal exco. Under my leadership, this 2016/2020 executive committee is committed to total victory in Lagos come 2019. We are determined to rid ourselves of old PDP cabal who led this party astray for 16 years”.
To assert his authority, Adewale was said to have stormed the party secretariat located at Ikeja GRA and sealed it off a fortnight ago, daring anyone to reopen it and face the consequence.
Confirming the closure of the party secretariat, Adewale, who warned Salvador to steer clear of the secretariat, said he is exercising his right as the state chairman of the party.
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“Of course, I remain the chairman of the party. Any other person calling himself the state chairman is just being mischievous. We did our primary election from the ward to the state level and I was duly elected. The other camp got nominated by Chief Bode George as usual. It was a product of imposition.
“Why I have not been talking is because the other faction is still challenging my position at the national level. I have all my documents confirming me as the state chairman of the party.
“The reason why I didn’t bother myself going to the party secretariat is because I have already locked down the place. As at now, nobody can have any meeting there. The only people you can see there now are operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. If you are in doubt, call Salvador to go and have a meeting there. He will be severely dealt with”, he said.
However, in his remark, former deputy national chairman of the party and its apex leader in the South West, Chief Olabode George, said Salvador is the only chairman of the party in the state.
While insisting that Adewale has no power to seal the secretariat, he said the party will soon commence legal actions against him.
“The Lagos PDP has only one state chairman and it is Moshood Salvador. Aeroland has no powers to lock down the party secretariat. He has to go to Yaba mental hospital to get his brain examined. I think he is running mental and insane”.
“Who is he to say that he has sealed the party secretariat? Maybe he doesn’t understand that it is a criminal offence for him to do so and it can send him to jail. The boy (Aeroland) has been pushing his luck too far. If truly he sealed the secretariat and he is boasting about it, we will take him to court and teach him a bitter lesson”, he said.
Efforts to speak with Salvador proved abortive as several calls and text messages sent to his mobile phone was unanswered.
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