The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ratified the suspension of its Chairman, Pastor Philip Aivoji, and his deputy, Mr Tai Benedict. The suspension was pending the outcome of court cases after they were suspended respectively by their ward executives on April 14 for allegedly violating the party’s Constitution.
Alhaji Hakeem Amode, the party’s Publicity Secretary in Lagos State, announced on Tuesday in Lagos that the State Working Committee had made the resolution after appraising the outcome of the 2023 general elections. He stated that the committee deliberated on the need to save the soul of the main opposition party in the state.
As a result, the committee confirmed Lagos PDP Vice-Chairman (West Senatorial District), Chief Sunday Olaifa, as acting chairman, pending the outcome of court cases. The committee also settled for Olaifa being the vice-chairman from the suspended chairman’s senatorial district.
Additionally, the committee constituted a seven-man disciplinary committee to look into all matters affecting the suspended officials. The 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 added that the post-election disciplinary committee was expected to revert to the State Working Committee one week from the date of its constitution.
During the meeting, members of the State Working Committee in attendance included Olaifa, Mr Agboola Akinpelu (Youth Leader), Mr Ismail Olatunji (State Auditor), Mr Adio Salami (State Organising Secretary), and Amode. The five members present constitute the majority of the nine members in the State Working Committee, out of the original 14 members that can take the decision.
It is worth noting that three of the original 14 members had defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), thereby reducing the membership of the State Working Committee to 11. As the embattled chairman and his deputy were part of the remaining 11 members, they could not adjudicate in their own case, leaving only nine members to take decisions.
The crisis is not limited to Lagos State PDP as the suspension of its national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, shortly after the Feb. 25 and March 18 general elections has rocked PDP at the national level.
Furthermore, some Lagos PDP leaders 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, which is 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.
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