By Julius Alabi, Akure
There is deep division in the Peoples Democratic Party, Ondo State Chapter as the party has witnessed massive decamping of members to other parties in the state in the last one week.
Today, a former Publicity Secretary of the party and Governorship Aspirant in the state, Hon. Banji Okunomo, resigned his membership of the party, attributing his resignation to the internal crisis, tyranny and leadership failure within the party.
But, the Party (PDP) said it will not lose sleep over the serial decampees as they don’t have Electoral values.
Okunomo who promised to announce his next destination soon lambasted the national leadership of the PDP over its failure in the just concluded Presidential election, saying the party looking for a solution at a court is like chasing a wild goose.
“There is no spirit of inclusiveness, sense of belonging. In Ondo state, PDP leadership under Fatai Adams and Eyitayo Jegede cannot lead but wreck the party. It’s a bunch of irresponsible, incompetent, inexperienced and focus less leadership that led to the failure of the party, undermining the leadership of former governor Mimiko.
According to him, the results of the last presidential election reflected the wishes of people across the country, saying the party lost to an unresolved leadership crisis and gross incompetence in the Iyorchia Ayu-led chairmanship of the party.
Reacting, the party in a statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Ikantu Peretei stated that the party received reports of some serial decampees leaving the party with equanimity.
“In the last eighteen months, these same characters have moved in and out of the PDP twice, which is a confirmation of their nomadic essence as politicians.
“Most of them who got promotions beyond their capacities by the PDP have consistently lost their Polling Units to other political parties during elections.
“They have always been trailed by failure in their opportunistic and self-serving inordinate ambitions that drive their insatiable desire for crumbs from the master’s table.
“To put the record straight, Banji Okunomo, Solomon Bitire and their gang of court jesters declared that the PDP was dead in Ondo South, shortly after the PDP Governorship primary election in 2020. They defected to the Zenith Labour Party(ZLP) but shamelessly returned to PDP after their tragic outing that was a measure of their political relevance.
“In all honesty, why should the PDP lose sleep over the exit of such colourless, inconsequential and serial decampees?
“It won’t be any surprise if they are treated as political prostitutes wherever they may go. Our party can only wish them the best of luck in their sojourn. In any case, any time they wish to come back, our doors are open. Now that they have established that, they are political herdsmen”, Peretei added.
Ends.