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| Olagunsoye in a wine coloured attire |
National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, for what it called the
injustice he suffered in the party which led to his exit from its fold.
The chairman of the PDP caretaker committee in Osun state, Alhaji
Sarafadeen Ishola led a delegation of chieftains of the party to
Oyinlola at his country home in Okuku where they delivered the party’s
apology and asked for the forgiveness of the former Osun state governor.
The PDP caretaker chairman said the visit was not to lure Oyinlola back
to the party but to apologize to him for the injustice meted to him by
the party.
“The decision to be member of any party is a personal one and we respect
that decision of yours. Our mission is to come and ask for forgiveness,
that you forgive us in your heart and we admit that what happened to
you was an injustice and an error.” Sarafadeen Ishola appealed.
Apart from the caretaker chairman, several other leaders of the PDP were
in the entourage. This included former deputy to Oyinlola, Erelu
Olusola Obada, former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon
Adejare Bello and former member of the National Population Commission,
Alhaji Lere Oyewumi, among others
Oyinlola in his response said he cherished the visit and explained that
he felt concerned that issues went the way they went during his last
days in the PDP despite all his efforts to ensure the unity of the party
was protected.
He said the reign of indiscipline and impunity within the PDP led to
his exit and the series of crises within the party as well as the
division that later resulted in the electoral setback for the party.
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| Osun PDP caretaker committee with Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola |
“I want to say that I did everything humanly possible to make sure that
the division did not come from me. I went to the extent of writing to
the leadership of the party, the then Mr. President to draw his
attention to the issues that were eroding on the unity of the party but
it seemed my own sincerity about the whole issues were misconstrued.”
The former governor who said he felt vindicated by the visit and the
apologies tendered, maintained that politicians must rub minds together
and exploit all avenues of peaceful resolution of conflicts.
“I want to take a recourse to the Bible which says ‘ if your brother
transgesses, rebuke him; if he repents, forgive him. it is on that score
that I want to say I have forgiven and forgotten all that was done to
me.”
He, however, said he was happy that the PDP chieftains said they
respected his decision to choose the party he wished to belong to while
he used the occasion to also introduce some leaders of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the state who joined him to receive them.
Oyinlola advised politicians in the country to always seek for the
progress of the country, irrespective of the side of the political
divide they belonged.
According to him, political affiliation of politicians may differ but
the delivery of democracy dividends to the people must be important to
them.
The move by the PDP is seeing in some quarters as one of the strategies
put in place by the opposition party to win the 2018 governorship
election in Osun state by wooing back to its fold, all aggrieved members
who left during the 2014 governorship poll and the build up to the 2015
general elections.
Begging ex-governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola is one of the important
strategic move by the PDP according to inner sources. It would be
recalled that a video went viral weeks ago showing Olagunsoye Oyinlola
celebrating with senator Ademola Adeleke on his victory at the
senatorial bye-election. Foot soldiers of the ex-governor were verily
active in the electioneering campaign of Ademola Adeleke, a situation
which indicates that Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola may have blessed the
candidature of Ademola Adeleke.
Rumour was however rife that Oyinlola was set to dump the APC, until he
was announced as the chairman of the National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC).
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