The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing a crisis ahead of the party’s upcoming local government primary elections scheduled for August 18, 2024.
Several videos have surfaced on social media, showing senior party leaders alleging imposition of candidates by the party’s state executive and some “superior leaders”.
In one of such videos, a prominent party member, Falilate Arike Yusuf (known as “Ero-Arike”) from Iragbiji Local Government Area is seen crying and lamenting that the party has betrayed her loyalty after reneging on their promise to give her husband the chairmanship ticket.
“When they appointed a Caretaker Committee for Boripe council, they refused to appoint my husband, Akeem. I raised concerns, but they assured me at the Governor’s house that my husband will be given the party’s ticket for the LG election. I have spent money on party excos for this, and I refused to be disappointed. I worked so hard for the party, and now they have concluded plans not to give him the ticket. It is unfortunate that I am getting this in return,” Arike said in the video.
Another video showed a PDP leader, identified as Chief Ade, warning the party leadership against imposing candidates across the state.
“We need to warn Yeye Dupe (Adeleke’s sister) not to create problems within PDP. She is not the governor, hence, she cannot sway us and impose candidates on us. If she tries to do that, the forthcoming Governorship election, Ademola Adeleke will cry,” he said.
Also, the party’s ex-officio for Ife East council, Olalekan Olawole, released a video from the Moore Divisional Police Headquarters, where he had taken refuge after an alleged assassination attempt on him by some hoodlums.
Oluwole, who is contesting the chairmanship seat for Ife East Local Government, claimed that he was attacked by political thugs sponsored by a party leader in Osun State.
When contacted, the Osun PDP Director of Media and Publicity, Oladele Bamiji, acknowledged the issues raised but dismissed them as “normal at this period” and suggested that the party members were “raising artificial issues to force the hand of the party to do their bidding.”
Regarding the alleged assassination attempt, Bamiji stated that the person “was taking refuge at the police station while making the video.”