People’s Democratic Party members in Ondo State have demanded the resignation of Fatai Adams, the party’s state chairman, over allegations of incompetence, haughtiness, a lack of transparency, anti-party sentiment, and polarization of PDP within the state’s 18 Local Governments in advance of the election scheduled for next month.
On Monday, it was learned that the State Working Committee of the party had a meeting with the party’s leadership and demanded Adams’ dismissal, claiming the Chairman lacked the ability to guide the party to success in the general elections of 2023.
The SWC claimed that in addition to dividing the party, Adams was unable to unite all of its disgruntled members while the party’s candidates were competing against one another.
According to a member of the SWC who spoke with journalists, the state’s PDP chairman is being exploited to further the self-serving interests of some party members, and “as far as this man is the chairman, we would not win any election in Ondo in 2023”
He alleged that the Chairman had been concealing party activities from other party officials in order to carry out the wishes of the party’s governorship candidate for 2020, Eyitayo Jegede.
Members of the Ondo State Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, have called for the removal of the Chairman of the party in the State, Fatai Adams over alleged incompetence, high-handedness, lack of transparency, anti-party and polarization of PDP across the 18 Local Governments of the State ahead next month election.
It was gathered on Monday that the State Working Committee of the party met with the leadership of the party demanding the removal of Adams, saying the Chairman lacked the capacity to lead the party to victory in the 2023 general elections.
The SWC also alleged that apart from causing division within the party, Adams lacked the capacity to bring all aggrieved members of the party together while the party’s candidates have been working at cross purposes
According to a member of the SWC who spoke with journalists, the state’s PDP chairman is being exploited to further the self-serving interests of some party members, and “as far as this man is the chairman, we would not win any election in Ondo in 2023”
He alleged that the Chairman had been concealing party activities from other party officials in order to carry out the wishes of the party’s governorship candidate for 2020, Eyitayo Jegede.
The majority of the party’s candidates, according to him, have been managing and funding their campaigns independently, with little guidance from the party.
He pointed out that people who publicly air grievances and criticize Adams and Jegede’s leadership style have been excluded from the party.
He stated: “the ongoing crisis in the party was caused by the inordinate ambition of a former governorship candidate to become the candidate of the party again in the 2024 governorship election in the state.
“They are scheming for the 2024 governorship election instead of working towards securing a win for the 2023 election and delivering the state for PDP and Atiku. They are talking of 2024 governorship elections and that is the main reason for the division within the party”
Some members of the SWC met with the party’s leadership and demanded the resignation of the party chairman, according to the party’s state publicity secretary, Kennedy Peretei, who also confirmed the situation.
Peretei, however, said that the party’s officials had pleaded with the SWC members to put down their weapons and cooperate with the Chairman in order to further the party’s development before the election scheduled for next month.
Kennedy said, “Yes there was a joint meeting with the SWC members and the party leaders but the leaders have appealed to them to let peace reign in the party. It is an internal issue and it has been resolved. It is a normal thing to have issues within the party.
“They can’t be talking about the removal of the party’s Chairman some few days to elections, no matter the gravity of the allegations. The timing is wrong.”