Oyinlola Our Preferred Candidate For Deputy National Chairman - Osun PDP

In preparation for the forthcoming national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Osun State chapter of the party has adopted Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former governor of the state as their candidate for the position of Deputy National Chairman (South).

This decision formed part of the resolution arrived at after a meeting of the elected and statutory delegates of the PDP in Osun State on the position of Deputy National Chairman (South) micro zoned to Osun State.

In a statement signed by the Osun PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi, former PDP candidate in the Osun 2018 gubernatorial election, Ademola Adeleke and a former National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, the party leaders insisted that the resolution that micro-zoned the position to Osun remains the same after a meeting with Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.

The party described Prof. Oladipo's exclusion from standing for election as Deputy National Chairman (South) as unwarranted, orchestrated, illegal and a rape of democracy added that the adoption of Taofeeq Arapaja for the position by Makinde to short-change Osun.

According to the statement, “As a result of Professor Wale Oladipo’s exclusion. Governors Oyinlola remains the only aspirant from Osun state for the position of Deputy National Chairman (South) of our party at the convention.

“We vehemently oppose the attempt by Governor Seyi Makinde to hijack what has been micro-zoned to Osun State. After all, Oyo State already occupies the South West Chairmanship of the party, in person of Ambassador Arapaja, who is a member of National Working Committee.

“We therefore unanimously agreed that all elected and statutory delegates from Osun State to the PDP National Convention should cut our votes for Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the only candidate from Osun State for the position of Deputy National Chairman (South).

"We equally appeal to all the delegates from other states in Nigeria to support the candidature of Prince Oyinlola by voting massively for him at the convention."

The party maintained that the position of Deputy National Chairman of PDP (South) that had been micro-zoned to Osun state at a meeting presided over by Governor Seyi Makinde in Abuja still stood.

The party also revealed that the reason behind the disqualification of Oladipo was to smuggle in a weak and pliable candidate into that exalted office knowing fully well that the Osun candidate has the national reach to get easily elected at the convention.

Recall that Osun PDP had earlier adopted Prof. Oladipo as its candidate for the position while the faction of Olasoji Adagunodo, the embattled chairman of the party in the state put forward Olagunsoye Oyinlola as its preferred candidate.

Political watchers in the state had noted that this stance was a miscalculation on the party of Osun PDP as the confusion it would generate would make Oyo jump into the race which it finally did.