‘Political Parties Not Ideologically Driven’

An Oyo State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Chief Oyebisi Ilaka spoke on the defection of members of Accord Party led by Senator Rashidi Ladoja to PDP and other issues

Does it not amount to political harlotry for you to leave PDP for ACN and ACN for Accord and now Accord for PDP ?

Definitely not. There are dimensions to it. There is no party that is really ideologically-driven. Parties exist in Nigeria solely to contest elections. I was a member of the PDP. There were issues I had with the leadership. Instead of fighting, I thought I should leave the party for another because I wanted to contest the election. I moved to ACN. But I met the same problem in ACN. So, all of us who have issues with the PDP had to move to Accord. The outcome of the election showed that we fragmented our votes in the PDP. The way forward is to come together to provide a viable opposition to the ACN in Oyo State.

What has changed in the PDP that made you to return to the fold?

We are having a different kind of dialogue that is based on sincerity. The Accord Party members and the PDP have an agreement. If dialogue had taken place before the election, there would have been no need for us to go into AP. We perceived the tyranny of the few over the many in the PDP. I think the time is ripe for us to come together.

Who are the people returning to the PDP from Accord; Ladoja, you and Accord legislators in Oyo State?

The entire party is returning to the PDP. After the elections, political parties knew that none could claim superiority. We had an agreement with ACN to move the state forward. It broke down irretrievably. No single party had dominant influence. We concluded that if we couldn’t work with Party A, we could work with Party B. That led to the consummation of relationship between Accord and PDP.

How would the defection of Accord members to PDP change the political calculation in the state?

Most of us have already crossed into the PDP. We are reckoned with at the local government and we are working on a dialogue process, using the outcome of the 2011 elections to work out a sharing formula. Agreements are being made on ward basis, local government basis.

Is the timing of the defection appropriate now that PDP is holding congresses?

We are participating in the congress from ward to the national level.

Are you saying that party positions are now being shared between PDP and Accord Group in PDP and could you shed light on the sharing formula?

We know the results of the elections. Where they won, they will take the chairmanship and cede the vice chairmanship to us. There is a working agreement and it is being honoured. Implementation will depend on the peculiarities of each ward and local government.

In the PDP family, this is not an anathema. We belong to the same political family. We are childern of one father, but we have different mothers. When there is disagreement over party matter, it does not mean that the oneness of the party does not exist.

Do members of Ladoja Group regret that power shifted to ACN?

We had the numerical strength to wrestle or retain power. PDP was the dominant party. But there was no reconciliation. For that short time Accord Party performed so well. It would have teamed up with the PDP, if there was reconciliation.

Why can’t the Ladoja Group continue to build Accord Party, instead of defecting back to PDP?

Accord Party has been in existence before Ladoja moved in. It still remains what it used to be. But the Ladoja Group in Accord has moved to PDP. Our strength in Accord is our integrity. That we are bringing back to PDP.

Are you saying that factionalisation is over in Oyo PDP?

There is work in progress, dialogue in process. We have a better dispute resolution mechanism in place now. We now have a common interest to protect. What is binding us together is more than what can divide us. We have learnt our lessons. We come from the school of hard knocks. We are more focused.

—Jamiu Yisa