The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that the party’s state executive and some “superior leaders” are imposing candidates on them ahead of the local government primary elections scheduled for August 18, 2024.
According to NewsNGR, several videos which surfaced on social media showed the party stalwarts lamenting over the situation.
In one of such videos, a PDP leader, identified as Chief Ade, warned the party leadership against imposing candidates across the state.
He claimed that Governor Ademola Adeleke was trying to impose candidates on the party.
“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.
Another video showed a prominent party member, Falilate Arike Yusuf (known as “Ero-Arike”) from Iragbiji Local Government Area 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.
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 the aforementioned publication contacted the Osun PDP Director of Media and Publicity, Oladele Bamiji, he acknowledged the issues raised but dismissed them as “normal at this period.
He stated that the party members were raising artificial issues to force the hand of the party to do their bidding.