By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Campaign Organization of Omooba Dotun Babayemi on Sunday, declared that the redress currently being sought at the law court by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Omooba Babayemi is not to truncate PDP’s victory at the July 16 polls in Osun State.
According to the organization, Omooba Babayemi is out for justice “with a view to claiming his mandate” and as well to ensure it translates to good governance.
Reacting to a statement credited to the Chairman, PDP Caretaker Committee in Osun state, Dr Adekunle Akindele, the organization emphasized that having explored all internal mechanisms of the party ” to no avail, the option left as spelt by the party’s constitution is to seek justice through the judiciary.”
“Our symbol, Omooba Dotun Babayemi is not seeking to truncate PDP’s victory but he’s out for justice, seeking to claim his mandate at the law court. Is such lawful trajectory out of place? For all those who are now crying wolf, what genuine efforts did they make to ensure the PDP is not exposed to litigation?, It said
The campaign organization added, “Why would Akindele and those in his mould choose to approbate and reprobate at the same time. Just recently,the Dr Adekunle Akindele-led Caretaker Committee was removed by the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, PDP, but went to the law court to stop the party from replacing them with a more non-factional Caretaker Committee for Osun State PDP. This Committee headed by Akindele is the one serving as a tool now being used to subvert the legitimate wheels of justice”
It stressed that “subtle blackmail by the party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman that Babayemi had become a tool of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won’t deter him from pursuing a legitimate cause, saying, ” all concessions made by the Babayemi’s group to achieve the desired peace before the governorship election were rebuffed by the Ademola Adeleke group.”
“We would like to inform the whole world that Omooba Dotun Babayemi has continued to pursue the good of the PDP at every level of engagements; he has continued to invest his time and money for its success and the good of the people of Osun.
“In any democratic setting, winner-takes-all syndrome has always been harmful in the long run. When the Eyitayo Jegede SAN led Reconciliation Committee came, we laid our cards bare open. At a point, Babayemi offered to forego his governorship ambition if the other group was willing to come to the table with genuine intent to partner with both sides. The efforts at reconciliation was rebuffed and rejected. As a matter of fact, no one begs to be enrolled for servitude.
The Campaign organization further lamented that “even the national delegates which we shared on the ratio of ten local governments to us and twenty to them with agreements signed by both sides to concretize it, fell flat as they reneged immediately after the judgement of Federal High Court, Osogbo.They took all the 30 local governments. Or if one may ask: What role did Akindele and those now making noise and grandstanding play when this happened?
The organization said it has done everything within its reach to ensure that the situation the party currently finds itself did not get to this dangerous curve. “But unfortunately, at every given opportunity, they have always arrogantly told us they would not concede anything. Since we can not take laws into our hands, hence our recourse to seeking redress at the court of law. This we feel, should not amount to name-calling since we have such latitude as guaranteed by the laws of the land”
It stressed “at the height of it, efforts by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the Vice Presidential candidate candidate of our great party and other related stakeholders, was also truncated by the Adeleke group”, saying, “Thank God that all those involved in the reconciliatory efforts at one stage or other, are still alive and can tell the world those who have selfishly driven us as a people into this avoidable mess” .
Appealing to members of PDP across the state to remain calm, assuring that the victory of the party has come to stay, the campaign organization tasked them to disregard the campaign of calumny being spread by those afraid of justice.
“At this point we want to assure everyone that Omooba Dotun Babayemi is a genuine and bonafide member of the PDP who will not ,for any price, submerge the wishes of the people.He has never pretended on his resolve to always be with and for them”.
