The Ogun State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday elected former Chairman of Ado-Odo/ Ota Local Government, Rotarian Abayomi Tella as its new State Chairman.
The newly elected Chairman Rotarian Abayomi Tella was elected at a congress supervised by a seven man committee led Kabiru Baffa Jauro as directed by the National leadership of the Party.
The newly elected State chairman who spoke with newsmen after his election disclosed that the party would be rejuvenated, rebuilt, rejigged and repositioned for success in the future.
He added that his leadership will restore the party’s heritage and identity as a ruling party.
Tella disclosed this after he was elected at the party’s State Congress, witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), held in Abeokuta, the State capital.
He explained that the true identity of the party is not that of opposition but of a strong and ruling party, saying the process of returning to seat of power is imminent and must happen at the next polls.
Tella while acknowledging the dark days of the party, noted the Party has gone through series of underserved trauma, various forms of unnecessary internal friction, judicial intervention, the party is ready to mend all fences and move forward.
The newly elected Chairman, said the Congress overtly reflects the Party’s as a formidable entity that it should be, ” despite the shenanigans of the ruling APC in Ogun State that manipulated itself back to power in 2023 having falsely claimed that there was no opposition in the State”.
His words: “I must say that our true identity is not that of opposition but getting back to our heritage of a ruling party, is imminent and must happen at the next polls. We must inevitably ascribe the success of today’s congress to various eminent people who made themselves available to be instrumental to this God’s project”.
He said “Ogun State PDP will be proudly rejuvenated, rebuilt, rejigged, and repositioned for success in the coming polls by the grace of God. There is no doubt that the Party has gone through series of underserved trauma, various forms of unnecessary internal friction, judicial intervention in our domestic affairs and reckless media onslaught by supposed members of the Party”.
“It is on record that PDP is the most successful Party in Ogun State with a record of total victory in two successful national elections of 2003 and 2007 where the Party won all elective positions in the State. This unprecedented feat remains unbeaten till today, and we must be disturbed if with this hard earned records, we still find ourselves being referred to as opposition party in Ogun State”, he stated .
On the future plans, he said ” The PDP in Ogun State will not pride itself alone with the hitherto electoral success, but also with remarkable and monumental achievement in good governance. It is on record that one of the best and most successful National Sport Festival was organised in Ogun State Under the PDP administration, our Party administration employed more people than any previous or succeeding administration in Ogun State, built Stadia and increased sporting infrastructure in the State (now suffering maintenance), expanded the tertiary education institutions in Ogun State with additional University, polytechnics and other specialised institutions of higher learning, thereby creating more jobs and building human capital development.”
” This is the same PDP that raised the level of economic prosperity in Ogun State before the APC administration eroded all the gains our people achieved under PDP and consequently leading to the wanton poverty that is ravaging our land”, he stated.
“However, it is disheartening to describe the Party as a tree that bears no fruit anymore. Many of the People who had benefited from the Party’s previous electoral victories are currently slaving in the APC, we are using this opportunity to request them to return to the base and join us in having a PDP that will be difficult to beat in 2027 and beyond”.
While thanking the past executives, Tella said ” We need ourselves and working together again should not be difficult or impossible. The 2027 project is the major item in the agenda of this newly elected Executive and requiring all hands on the desk is mandatory”.
Speaking on the plans of the party, the newly elected Chairman said “This Executive shall run a policy and strategy that will consolidate the internal cohesion and unity we are already experiencing, expand the membership strength, vigorously propagate our undying desire to bring the much needed Relief to the people of Ogun State”.
” We will run a transparent and all-inclusive administration, raise the level of consultation and engagement with internal and external stakeholders of the Party, relate with other allied interest bodies within the Ogun State Political ecosystem and provide admirable leadership as leader of the opposition parties for the purpose of demanding good governance and accountability from the indolent APC government in Ogun State”, he said .
He said “We shall also ensure a robust grassroots penetration by encouraging the Ward and Local Government Executives to also activate their responsibility of having regular meeting and projecting the image of the party in their areas. We acknowledge that there are limited statutory positions in the Constitution of the Party against the outnumbered capable hands who are willing to sincerely serve, the internal mechanism adopted by our leaders to prevent irreconcilable outcome is commendable and consequently leaving manageable reconciliation for the Party after the Congresses. We shall heal all the probable wounds that may follow this exercise”.
On the current administration in the State, Tella said “We promise!!! The PDP Ogun State is aware of the poor performance that has characterised governance in our dear State. The level of acumen available to the current government in evidently worsening the level of infrastructural decay and raising poverty level in the State which means that tremendous workload is awaiting us when we eventually dislodge them from office in 2027”.
He added “The people of Ogun State do not deserve this level of mediocrity in government judging from our history as a people of noble birth and charitable pedigree and identity”.
On the Edo election, he stated “Regrettably, our Party has just been rigged out of power in Edo State. We grieve over the diminishing level of our electoral purity. We thought we have embarked on the voyage of joining other advanced Nations in having improved electoral processes that can produce true and patriotic leaders the Nation deserves”.
He said “We are using this opportunity to plead and admonish the Electoral Body to up their skills at ensuring that they are truly independent and are capable of conducting elections that the entire nation will be proud of. I want to advise the Commission to take voter’s registration more serious by ensuring that registration of voters is no longer as difficult as it is presently. Registration of voter is currently more difficult than securing a US Visa”.
“One wonders why getting an ATM card with financial and security features should be a lot easier than getting a PVC or its replacement. This difficulty is a technical way of discouraging people from participating in our electoral processes and of course rubbing the process of the much needed credibility.
The entire globe is expecting a much better electioneering process from us and the responsibility to meet this expectation rest heavily on the INEC”, he stated.
According to him, “We shall continue to anticipate a much more responsible, transparent and truly independent INEC in our future elections.
I want to use this opportunity to assure our people that the PDP will be better positioned to win the next election in Ogun State”.
On conduct of the congresses in the State, he said “The Congresses in the State has been quite tranquil, free, fair, transparent and credible. It appeared to be the most inclusive Congress the Party ever had and commendation should be credited to our natural leaders for adopting the ingenious idea of having a rancour free Congresses at all levels”.
He added ” Though, some people are patronising the media and the Courtroom again to discredit the party and the efforts of the leader of the Party, we want to plead with them to desist from this ignoble mission and retrace their steps. The umbrella is large enough to accommodate all of us and enable us to realise our varying ambitions. The era of judicial ambush is no longer fashionable, obsolete and gone forever”.
On the unity of the PDP in the State, Tella stressed “The Party will do well if does not harbour indiscipline and unrepentant dissident within its fold. A firewood that harbour ants, will definitely dismember itself from the burning flame.
The responsibility to deliver the State starts today and we are set to achieve this feat without fear. I want to implore my compatriots to be focused, determined and purposeful in the discharge of their duties as executive member of our great Party. The atmosphere is good for us and harvesting the opportunity of returning to power is much more possible now than ever”.
Meanwhile, the seven member Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) State Congress Committee for Ogun State on Saturday, denied the purported parallel Congress in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Chairman of the 7-man PDP Committee, Alhaji Kabiru Baffa Jauro who declared Abayomi Tella as winner, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen.
The Congress which was dully supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) team, led by Mrs. Uzo Amala Otegbulu; the commission’s Head of Department (HOD) for Election Party Monitoring (EPM) and other observers which included the police, the DSS and that of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Jauro emphatically urged members of the public to disregard the report of alleged parallel congress by the aggrieved members of the state chapter of the PDP, stressing that such remains a “kangaroos congress” and an exercise in futility.
Jauro maintained that his committee met with all politicians in the state chapter of PDP after liaising with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the party where necessary information regarding the conduct of the Saturday’s Congress wasq rolled out for a hitch-free conduct of the exercise.
“We came in yesterday and went round with the chairman to see the arrangements because we normally supposed to have a Local Organising Committee (LOC) to see the arrangements and we put in our own input regarding what we want to ensure a hitch-free conduct of the State Congress”.
“We thereafter, met with the INEC, the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Abiodun Alamutu; the Director of the State Security Service (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to present ourselves to them for proper security arrangements. We thereafter, called attention of all the politicians in the state through the Caretaker Chairman that we are here to conduct the party’s State Congress.
“So, if there is anything or any other State Congress going on somewhere else, they are on their own because they neither have a letter of authority, not the list of the delegates and if they have, let them show you”.
“For us here, we have the ballot papers and list of all the statutory and non-statutory delegates; everything here with me. Very soon, you’ll see the actual delegates voting after we must have done the accreditation which is starting from the Ogun West Senatorial district where we are expecting five Local Governments”.
“I am saying this before the INEC representatives that are here that if anybody says he is doing any other Congress aside from this one, it is a kangaroo exercise because nobody will take it serious. We have not told anyone not to come, we emphatically told them all that we have the authentic list of delegates. For me, I don’t know anybody because this is my second time of coming to Ogun State after 32 years ago”.
“Please permit me to emphasize that right now, my job is to conduct the state’s party congress with my colleagues after which the result and detailed analysis of the report will be submitted to the national secretariat of our party, detailing the procedural processes”.
“It is thereafter, left for the national secretariat to cross-check how we carried out the assignment given to us whether it is in tandem with the guidelines. If however, they are not satisfied with what we have done, it is left for them as they are the ines to speak on it. I don’t have any mandate to speak in that direction”.
Our Correspondent reports that Tella won the the congress with 2,216 defeating former Chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele who got 28 votes.
A total of 2, 549 delegates participated in the congress with 2,174 accredited votes and 50 invalid votesp
