Lateef Ibrahim, Osogbo
The candidate of the Accord Party (AP) in the July 16 governorship election in Osun state, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, has suffered a bid to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ogunbiyi in a letter dated September 13 2022 titled: ‘Notification of Return to the Party,’ and addressed to the national chairman of PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, through the chairman, caretaker committee, Osun PDP, pleaded to return to the party with his rights and privileges as a member.
The letter reads: “I write to notify you of my return to the PDP. My comeback after a brief absence is to continue my contribution to the development of the party as I have always done in the past. Consequently, I hereby request for the restoration of all my rights and privileges as a member.”
But, a statement signed and made available to our correspondent by the caretaker chairman, ward 05, Ile-Ogbo, Ayedire Local Government, Alh Makinde Muftau, said Ogunbiyi is not worthy of re-admission into the party because his strength has been tested and he has nothing to contribute to the party.
According to the PDP, the anti-party activities of Ogunbiyi were targeted at truncating the electoral successes of the party, saying “his notification letter to re-join the PDP attests to this as he still addressed himself and signed the letter as the “Osun State Accord Gubernatorial Candidate.”
The letter addressed to the state caretaker chairman described Ogunbiyi as a ‘negative influence,’ saying “in the last election, he garnered only 4000 votes for Accord Party as a governorship candidate throughout Osun State and he has nothing, in our estimation, to
contribute positively to the impending victory of our Presidential candidate,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“We at Dr Ogunbiyi’s ward suffered emotional and psychological trauma for the pain and anguish he put us through, for his persistent records of anti-party activities and for his continuous working against the interest of PDP members who seek governance through our party;
“We have resolved not to re-admit Dr Ogunbiyi into the PDP as he is a living and present danger to the successes so far recorded by the PDP. His return to the party at this delicate time amounts
to planting a mole within the house at a time of war,” the statement added.
