The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has ratified the suspension of its Chairman, Pastor Philip Aivoji and his deputy, Mr Tai Benedict, pending the outcome of the instituted court cases.
Aivoji and Benedict were suspended respectively by their ward executives on April 14, over an alleged gross violation of the party’s Constitution.
The party’s Publicity Secretary in Lagos State, Alhaji Hakeem Amode, disclosed on Tuesday in Lagos that the State Working Committee reached the resolution after appraising the outcome of the 2023 general elections.
He stated that at a meeting held on Tuesday, the committee deliberated on saving the soul of the main opposition party in the state.
He added that the committee consequently confirmed Lagos PDP Vice-Chairman (West Senatorial District), Chief Sunday Olaifa, as acting chairman, pending the outcome of pending court cases.
He noted also that the committee settled for Olaifa to be the vice-chairman from the suspended chairman’s senatorial district.
Amode explained that the committee also constituted a seven-man disciplinary committee to look into all matters affecting the suspended officials.
Members of the disciplinary committee are – Chief Abayomi Kuye (Chairman), Mrs Esther Egbi (Secretary), Alhaji Isiaka Shodiya, Princess M.A Coker, Messrs Kayode Ariwayo, Femi Oluokun and Segun Oriyomi.
Amode stressed that the post-election disciplinary committee was expected to revert to the State Working Committee one week from the date of its constitution.
Members of the State Working Committee at the meeting were – Sunday Olaifa, Mr Agboola Akinpelu (Youth Leader), Mr Ismail Olatunji (State Auditor) and Mr Adio Salami (State Organising Secretary) and Amode.
“The five members in attendance constitute the majority of the nine members in the State Working Committee out of the original 14 members that can take the decision,” the PDP publicity secretary remarked.
He pointed out that, “Three of the original 14 members had decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), thereby reducing the membership of the State Working Committee to 11.
“The embattled chairman and his deputy were part of the 11 remaining members and since they can’t adjudicate in their own case, only nine members were left to take decisions,” Amode submitted.
Some Lagos PDP leaders were alleged to have abandoned the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, on the eve of the March 18 gubernatorial election to support either the Labour Party (LP) or the ruling APC.
The development was believed to have contributed to Adediran coming a distant third behind the winner, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of APC and the first runner up, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP.
A crisis is also rocking PDP at the national level with the suspension of its National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, shortly after the February 25 and March 18 general elections.