The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been advised to maximally utilize the fresh opportunities provided by the vacancies existing in the South West Zonal office of the party to re engineer and fortify the party against the rage of the opposition and return the region to national government.
Specifically, the leadership of the party must see that the vacant positions are filled with strong and credible politicians capable of bringing back estranged members and as well attract new blood into PDP and also correct all cases of lopsidedness in some state executives.
A chieftain of the party, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan who gave the advice while speaking with political correspondents in Abuja yesterday, declared that the party (PDP) would regain its lost glory in the South West if all these are speedily attended to .
Alhaji Olaosebikan, a former Chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Oyo State and one of the leading progressives in the party, said it would be a masterstroke if the party could use this rear chance to bring back all the estranged members of the party, with emphasis on a former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja and benefit from their grassroots acceptance, national reach and democratic values.
Alhaji Olaosebikan maintained that the cries over marginalization by the region can only be averted if the party at the national and more so at the regional levels make the necessary moves and sacrifices and win the region for the national government. To him, all the leaders in the region must be prepared to go extra miles in stabilizing and strengthening the party for all round victory in 2015.
Today, the former Local government chief executive said, “among the top leaders in PDP from the region, (former and present) it is only Senator Rasheed Ladoja and his former Deputy , Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao Akala that can deliver with ease substantial part of their state to any party of their choice.
So bringing back Senator Ladoja to combine with Otunba Akala would guarantee great success for PDP in the South West, particularly, Oyo State. Positioning to win Oyo State would have ripple effects on the adjoining Osun and Ogun states and even Lagos.
“It is quite strategic at this point for the leadership of our great party to do everything possible and facilitate the return of the estranged members of the party in the South West back to PDP. Particularly, they must bring back to the fold, Senator Rasheed Ladoja who is undoubtedly one of the strongest and accepted politicians in the South West today”
According to Alhaji Olaosebikan, the party has a lot to gain by ensuring genuine reconciliation with its old members predominantly to neutralize the effect of the gang up of the opposition parties against it.
The party should also use the opportunity to correct all the lopsidedness in the composition of the executives in some states and give equal chances to the leaders and as well spread the positions evenly to all the zones and local governments.
“The way events are unfolding, the so called crisis in the party is a blessing in disguise. It may be the elixir the party really needed for a meaningful reengineering, better focus and cohesion. This opportunity must not slip through our fingers.” Olaosebikan advised.