From Priscilla Ediare, Ado Ekiti
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State is currently in crisis as two chairmen emerged in the party in the state.
The drama started when the party’s state deputy chairman, Hon Lanre Omolase, who has been acting as the chairman and the state secretary, Mrs Funmi Ogun, on Monday, announced the appointment of Engr Alaba Agboola, as the substantive chairman of the party in the state.
The statement also said, Engr Agboola, from Ijero Ekiti, will replace the party’s governorship candidate in the last election, Hon Bisi Kolawole, who resigned as the state chairman to contest the governorship.
The statement further explained that the appointment of Engr Agboola as the substantive state chairman was among the resolutions at the State Executive Committee meeting held in Ado Ekiti, on Monday.
The statement reads: “At the Exco meeting of the PDP, Ekiti State, which held at the State Secretariat of the Party, at the instance of the Chairman (Acting) – Hon. Lanre Omolase, on Monday, 4th July 2022, the quorum at attendance being over and above one-third of the total membership of the Exco, deliberated on the need to appoint a substantive Chairman for our Party, in accordance with the Party’s Constitution.
“Article 47(6) of the Constitution of our great Party, the People’s Democratic Party, provides that: ‘Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.
“Accordingly and in view of the resignation of our erstwhile Party Chairman Hon Bisi Kolawole, who became our party flag bearer at the recent Ekiti State Governorship Election, the State executive committee members present deliberated on an appropriate and capable stalwart from the same zone as our erstwhile Chairman and unanimously appointed Hon. Alaba Agboola as substantive Chairman, to serve out the remainder of the tenure of our said erstwhile chairman.
“It was also resolved that Hon. Lanre Omolase, the Chairman (Acting), should revert to his elected post as the Deputy Chairman of our party, PDP, Ekiti State, while the National officials of our great party, corporate organizations, as well as our teeming party members and the general public, be immediately notified of the appointment of our new substantive party chairman.”
It should be recalled that Engr Agboola was the Chairman of the Repositioning Group, a group in the Ekiti State PDP led by Senator Biodun Olujimi.
In another development, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon Raphael Adeyanju, in a separate statement on Monday, in Ado-Ekiti, announced the appointment of Hon Deji Ogunsakin as the new chairman of the party in the state.
The statement, entitled, “Ekiti State PDP SEC confirmed Hon Deji Ogunsakin as the new state chairman of the party”, reads:
“The State Executive Committee, (SEC) of the Ekiti State Chapter of People’s Democratic Party has ratified the appointment of the former Chairman, Ado LG and former 2018 Deputy Governorship Candidate of the party, Hon Deji Ogunsakin as the New State Chairman of PDP.
“The party announced the appointment at its meeting in Ado Ekiti on Monday.
“The State Publicity Secretary in a statement made to journalists said that, the appointment is in line with section 47, 6 of the party constitution which states that, “where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from, to serve out the tenure of the officer.”
The new chairman, Hon Deji Ogunsakin, is from the same Central Senatorial District as the former Chairman, Hon Bisi Kolawole who resigned from the position on September 23, 2021.
The ratification by SEC was sequel to the nomination by 10 out of 12 members of the SEC from the Central Senatorial District.
