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Ogun State PDP Chairman, Engr Bayo Dayo, reported to have been removed from office by some members of the state executives of the party debunked this moves, alleging that the illegality was being sponsored and orchestrated by former Ogun East Senator, Buruji Kashamu who strongly opposes his recent moves to put paid to the 10 years old crisis rocking the opposition party in the state. Excerpts
How true is the report that you have been removed as the Ogun State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by some members of the state executives as reported by many national dailies?
The truth is that I remained Ogun PDP Chairman because by the virtue of being a state Chairman, I am a member of the National Executive Commitee of the party and as a member of NEC no organ of the party can discipline me except the national leadership of the party and Sen Buruji Kashamu is not a member of NEC anyway, and that is why all that they have done was null and void. None of the people in the party secretariat is a member of NEC. Samson Bamgbose who is now calling himself the acting Chairman is the Assistant Organising Secretary of the party. They are all bunch of jesters and irritants. They are only doing a paid job for their master.
It’s like you are accusing Senator Buruji Kashamu of being behind this illegal move to remove you from office because of your resolve to unite the two warring factions of the party?
I have no doubt about that because about three days ago, Sen Kashamu sent some emissaries to me. You remember we have two cases pending one each before a Federal High Court, Abuja and Abeokuta, Ogun state. The Court said we should maintain status quo but our lawyer came to inform me that we can go ahead with our congresses, that he had filed an appeal against this court pronouncement on maintaining status quo. So based on this, I organised the congress across the 236 wards in the state where new executives for the party were elected, we also did same for the 20 local governments. While, we were preparing to have that of the state, somebody told me that all these our actions can result to contempt of court because the court has said that the status quo should remained. So the other side of the party led by Hon Ladi Adebutu reached out to us for negotiation, so we held a meeting and decided that we will share the positions between the two groups and we agreed that if we will be sharing the positions, there is no need to go to court again. So, I wrote a letter to debrief our lawyer, that is, tell him that we will no longer need his service. The lawyer phoned Sen Buruji to acquaint him of this development because he is the one paying the lawyer, so it was the letter I wrote that triggered all this shenanigans and irresponsible acts of Bamgbose and his co-travellers. Yes, Sen Buruji is the one paying this lawyer, but I am the one whose name always appear on the court summons, so, I am a major stakeholder and I have the last say and right as the party Chairman to cut off the lawyer’s service. So, I told the lawyer to stop going to court on behalf of the party. With the ongoing negotiations and reconciliation, what we intend doing is to have another lawyer for our side while the other group also have their own. The two lawyers will be privy to whatever we agreed upon and it is this agreement that we will now take to the court for the final resolution of this crisis and move the party forward once and for all. However, Sen Buruji doesn’t want all this, he prefers to continue to run a one man show but for how long? A political leader who worth his salt and wishes better things for his followers will know that
he can’t continue to run the show alone. So, as soon as the lawyer told him that I have debriefed him, Sen Buruji called me and started all this problem, even though we discussed, in fact, two days ago he still sent his emissaries to me that I must withdraw the letter sent to the lawyer. He said I must also sign a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the state congress had been held but I refused. How could anyone say that he had conducted state congress during this lockdown? It was because I have decided to ensure peaceful resolution of the crisis and not tow path of illegality that Sen Buruji ordered Sunkanmi to be flying around all the falsehood. He even told me that if I didn’t withdraw the letter sent to the lawyer there is nothing he can’t do and I have told him to go ahead.
Sir, the opinion out there is that you and Sen Buruji Kashamu have come a long way…..
(Cuts in) Yes, we have been together for the past 10 years and he is a man I have given adequate respect because he’s done very well not forgetting that we all have our imperfections but the truth is that, the party can no longer be controlled by one man. I am exiting the party as the state Chairman after eight years and I want to ensure that this 10 years old crisis is over. A more vibrant PDP must emerge, PDP in Ogun must return to its winning ways. If not for the lockdown by April 7th, there would have been a state congress and I would have ceased to be the state Chairman but now that God is giving me the grace, I want to ensure this party is united and return to winning ways in Ogun State. Those that the Senator sent even came with as much as N10M to make me shift ground but I told them that it was about integrity and not money.
It is also been alleged that you have also taken money from Hon Ladi Adebutu and that is why you are singing song of reconciliation?
That’s another falsehood and baseless report. How can I be facilitating negotiations and insisting that positions must be shared between the two groups and still be demanding for money? That means I’m a sell out and in such situation, those on my side won’t also get fair treatment. It is all lies. In fact, what I told Hon Adebutu was that, yes you will actually spend money to become governor but for now what is on the table is negotiations and how we can all remained committed to making Ogun PDP one united family.
So, it is safe to say that the attack against you and moves to remove you from office is because of your desire to end Ogun PDP crisis?
Absolutely yes but Sen Buruji Kashamu doesn’t want this, he want to continue to run one man band show, he wants to continue to do as he wishes in the party. Sen Buruji is no doubt a good man but a bad politician. A good politician must always be thinking of his followers. In 2011, we lost the election, same thing in 2015 and 2019. If Sen Buruji Kashamu has good intentions for his followers, he will know that solution to all these losses is to unite the party and forge a common front so that we can occupy our place of pride in Ogun State. Enough of this endless crisis.
