Ex-Governor Oyinlola’s Many Troubles -How he was frustrated out of PDP to team up with his old political foe, Tinubu
This is not a time to laugh for the immediate past governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Isola Oyinlola. You will not forget in a hurry how he was sent packing from the Abeere government house in Oshogbo just few months to the end of his second tenure of office as the second executive governor of the state. As if that was not enough, he was compensated with a ticket to contest for senate on the platform of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He did contest for the senate but lost woefully.
The PDP was not through with him yet, he was asked to come and serve at the federal level of the party. He was elected as the national secretary of the party but hardly had he been elected than he was summarily booted out. Since then things have not been the same for the Okuku-born crown prince. First to fire a missile at him was the person who took his position, Professor Wale Oladipo. In a recent report, the new national secretary of the PDP, Professor Wale Oladipo, said Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola had lost moral ground and political legitimacy to lay claim to the party. The remark was contained in a statement issued by Mr Abiodun Ojo, his special assistant on Special Duties in Abuja penultimate Friday.
In the statement, he also said Oyinlola, former national secretary of the PDP and governor of Osun, had lost political relevance in his state. Oyinola, suspended from the PDP on November 11 by its National Working Committee (NWC), insists that he remained the party`s national secretary.
He was suspended from the party after the Appeal Court recently ordered that he be reinstated as national secretary. Oyinlola was suspended along with Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, leader of the PDP splinter group, Dr Sam Jaja and Ibrahim Kazaure.
The statement added that since Oladipo emerged as PDP scribe, he had deliberately refrained from joining issues with Oyinlola because of his respect for old relationship. It said Oyinlola`s recent activities raised many questions about his understanding of politics and suggesting a political disorientation of sorts.
“We are constrained to issue this statement on the recent conduct and pronouncements of Oyinlola.
“His disloyal and theatrical betrayal of allies and party that made him, disrobe him of any further claims to a party he has done so much to destroy.
“We affirm that Oyinlola has for long lost his political troops in Osun due to chronic betrayal and manifested self-centeredness.”
According to the statement, the former governor is jumping from one platform to the other and window-shopping in the judiciary. “Members we rejoice at Oyinlola’s exit from the party and we thank well-meaning Nigerians for their concern and inquiries,” the statement added.
It restated Oladapo`s loyalty to the party’s national leader, President Goodluck Jonathan and commitment to harmonious working relationship with national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and members of NWC.
Undaunted, Oyinlola who is a staunch member of the Braje-led new PDP decided to team up with his old political foe, the immediate-past governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, someone that Oyinlola had fought fiercely for daring to raise an opponent against him in the person of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the incumbent governor of the state. It is on record that Oyinlola had called Tinubu many unprintable names in the print and electronic media. But it came as a surprise when Oyinlola decided to team up with the Tinubu-led All Progressive Congress (APC), although he claimed not to have joined the party as being stated in the report below.
The embattled national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has said he did not move to the All Progressive Congress, APC, with other members and governors of the new PDP.
Speaking in a telephone interview on the Raypower FM radio programme, Political Platform, on Wednesday, Mr. Oyinlola said he remained the national secretary of the ruling party as pronounced by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division on November 6.
The New PDP, which was floated last August 31, fused into the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, after a meeting of the leaders of the two groups at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge on Tuesday.
The two groups said they were merging to rescue the nation and its fledgling democracy.
Of the seven governors belonging to the nPDP, two of them, namely Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger) have distanced themselves from the merger, saying they were still in the PDP.
The four governors whose defection to APC has been confirmed are Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Musa Kwankwaso (Kano).
It is still not clear if Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State also defected as he was not in the country when the Tuesday meeting held.
Although he confirmed that he was at the meeting where the decision to team up with APC was taken, Mr. Oyinlola, who is also the national secretary of the splinter PDP, said he would remain in the ruling party until a superior court upturned the November 6 judgement of the appellate court which reinstated him as the national secretary.
“My position is not in doubt. I have been the national secretary of the PDP based on the judgement delivered on November 6 and until a superior court reverses it, I remain the national secretary of the PDP. ” he said.
On the meeting with APC leaders, Mr. Oyinlola, who is a former governor of Osun State in the South West zone, explained that the nPDP had been having consultations with the opposition party before now, but that at the Tuesday meeting, some members of the splinter group decided to move on.
According to him, he was not part of those that decided to move to the APC.
He said, “We had consultations and we have been having meetings. Yesterday (Tuesday), some people decided to move on. I as the national secretary have no alternative than to remain because the Court of Appeal said I was validly elected. Until a superior court reverses that I remain the national secretary of the PDP.
“What I am telling Nigerians about this is that I was validly elected as national secretary in March last year.”
Asked if holding meetings with the opposition would not amount to an anti-party activity, Mr. Oyinlola said “having conversations with political like-minds had nothing to do with his position,” insisting that it was not a sin for him coming out to clarify his position as others who attended the Tuesday meeting had done.
Penultimate week at the Freedom Square in Oshogbo, the Osun State capital where Aregbesola rolled out drums to celebrate his third year in office, Oyinlola stormed the venue with his supporters to celebrate the governor he has once called all sorts of bad names. As it is being said, in politics, there is no permanent enemy but permanent interest.
