A former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe had raised the alarm, warning that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might lose elections in Lagos without coordination.
Ogunlewe, in a viral social media post, said: “To all Members of Global Mandate, we have a big problem in PDP Lagos state. There are three campaign teams; we have 207, We have 112, we have the Party Secretariat. What do you suggest we must do? The main objective is to win the elections. Without coordination, we may labour in vain”.
Ogunlewe, who spoke with our correspondent, expressed concerns that the lack of harmony in the campaign structure may precipitate defeat for the party.
According to him, there were three campaign structures in the state including the Presidential campaign for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, that of the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, as well as the party’s campaign team, all working at cross purposes.
He pointed out that the current disharmony stemmed from the disagreements over the outcome of the party’s primaries as well as the Presidential primaries held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, saying many party members were still aggrieved.
Ogunlewe however stressed the need for all party members to forget the past, reunite in the interest of the party.
“We can win this election but there must be unity. I am an elderly man, I have been a Minister, I have been a Senator, I am not contesting any election. If I see something that is going wrong and I didn’t speak out, I would be a fool. We need to harmonize the campaign structure. I am appealing to the leadership to work together”.
But the Chairman, Lagos Legacy Group for Atiku, Dayo Williams, insists there is no division in Lagos PDP, saying Senator Ogunlewe’s alarm has no basis.
In a statement, he said, “Let it be known that there is no divided house in Lagos PDP. Any attempt to input a sense of disharmony in our party is untrue, false without foundation.
“Senator Ogunlewe’s alarm is without concrete evidence, devoid of logic, virtually without a modicum of goodwill.
“As a loyal member of PDP from Amuwo Odofin and as a Lawyer with over 35 years experience, I can always tell when fifth columnists are bent on destroying our party’s unity.
“It is an established fact that the PDP Presidential Council has been collapsed into one uniform platform.
“This is the time everyone should be on-board. We must all work together to achieve our destined goal. Senator Ogunlewe must choose where he belongs.
“We do not and must not fling our issues into the public forum. That is a none starter. We must work together without malice or deliberate misrepresentation.”
