I remain PDP Southwest chairman: Olafeso

A factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Eddy Olafeso, says he remains the authentic leader of the party in the South-West zone.

Olafeso told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Akure that his group was re-affirmed as the PDP leaders in the zone during the last convention of the party in Abuja.

NAN reports that Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, another factional leader of the party, had on Monday in Lagos claimed that he was the authentic chairman of the party in the South-West zone.

Olafeso said: “It is very unfortunate and tendentious for someone to assume that carrying court papers around is enough to make him the leader of the party.

“Even, if they have court papers to back their claims, the case is already at the Appeal Court.

“They should wait till pronouncement of the court before jumping around that they are the leaders of the party in the zone.

“Leadership is freely given by the people and endorsed by the party through all its processes.”

He said that Makanjuola and his group were part of the challenges facing the party since 2011 “till when we won at the Supreme Court in July 12, 2017”.

Olafeso noted that PDP had gone beyond unnecessary antagonism, saying that the party’s focus was to ensure victory at the polls in 2019.

He expressed optimism that all the crises rocking the party would be resolved before its Dec. 9 National Convention.

“Today, I can tell you categorically that South-West PDP under my watch has been able to stabilise the party in Osun, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos States.

“We thank the leadership of the party for the opportunity given us to serve.

“We will continue to do our best to ensure that our party will be positioned in a way that it can begin to win again,” he said.