Lagos PDP seeks fresh congresses

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, under the aegis of the Union Group, on Tuesday urged the National Working Committee of the party to speedily conduct fresh congresses in the state.
Controversy had trailed the planned dissolution of state executive committees of the PDP in eight states by the NWC of the PDP.
The affected states are Anambra, Kogi, Oyo, Bayelsa, Delta, Plateau, Enugu and Imo.
Members of the Union Group at its General Assembly in Lagos, unanimously agreed that fresh congresses be conducted for the state.
Addressing the meeting, Lagos PDP chieftain, Oluyomi Finnih said that only an all inclusive election could re-unite the party in Lagos.
Finnih said: “Indeed, the Lagos PDP remains factionalised and the only way forward is for fresh congresses that would be acceptable to all members and groups within the party.
“We sincerely hope that the NWC will call for quick congresses in Lagos as we do not recognise the existing executive structure in the state.”
According to him, the congresses that produced the existing officials breached the PDP constitution.
He added: “A group in the party wants to dominate everyone and we cannot agree to that.
“The series of congresses held in March 2012 were badly managed and was in fact hijacked by one group.”
Finnih noted that the continued factionalisation of the party in the state had been the bane of its inability to win major elections in the state.
He accused the present party machinery in the state of not caring for the feelings of other members of the party.
He said: “One main issuing bugging the Lagos PDP is the refusal of one group to bend backwards to accommodate others.
“Some members of the party are holding the party to ransom because of their over bloated connection.”
He added that the party had remained dormant and static in the state as a result of the manipulations.
“Members of the party are gradually moving to other parties or just sitting at home and hoping for better days to come,” he said.
He pointed out that various attempts at reconciliation following agitation from some groups in the party across the state were boycotted by the group in power.
He said: “However, the South West Caretaker Committee of the PDP headed by Chief Isola Filani set up reconciliation committees all over the six states in the zone.
“Part of the recommendations of the committee was a harmonisation ratio of offices in Lagos state of 40:40:20 between the establishment (existing executive), Union and Non-Aligned groups.
“The committee also recommended that patronage in the state be distributed equitably to cover all groups/factions in the party, which is yet to be implemented.”
Finnih, however, added that the PDP could only win the 2015 elections in Lagos with an all inclusive party.
Reacting to the development, the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Taofik Gani, said: “We remain one family in Lagos.
“Our intra-family affairs will be treated without discomfort to any aggrieved member.”