13th September, 2012
A former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday called for peace among the rank and file of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State.
The former president made the appeal at a Joint Annual General Assembly of the Lagos PDP Women and Youth Vanguard.Represented by Mr Jide Damazio, the PDP zonal Secretary, South-West, Obasanjo said there was need for true reconciliation in the party in the state.“I urge you to strive to identify yourselves with how to bring peace to Lagos PDP.“You must all strive to ensure reconciliation among warring factions in the rank and file of the party in Lagos,” he said.
Obasanjo, however, urged the youth and women to beware of the opposition planting the seed of discord in the party.According to him, you must all reach out to the gladiators of the party in the state to work for the uplifting of the party.Mr Olalere Gbadamosi, a 2011 governorship aspirant of the party, stressed the need for the members to work as one to wrest power in the state.“If we don’t forget our animosity and work as one, we may be swept away,’’ he said.The Chief Adviser of the Youth Vanguard and 2011 governorship aspirant of the Lagos PDP, Mr Salis Owolabi, appealed to chieftains of the party to come together and work for the party’s victory in the 2015 polls.“
The youth vanguard programme is designed to bring unity to the party but you know that in any dispute, there are diehards who will never agree to anything,” he said.Mr Sheriff Adepoju, the President of the Lagos PDP Youth Vanguard, said the youth would move to their leaders in thousands to ensure that there was reconciliation.He said that for the party to remain relevant in Lagos, the leaders should sheathe their swords and be good crisis managers.Adepoju attributed the rancour in the party to arrogance, dichotomy and selfishness in some leaders.The president of the Lagos PDP Youth Vanguard said the outfit did not belong to any faction but was formed to complement the efforts of the party structure in the state.