Southwest supporters of ousted National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sherif, day dumped the embattled party for the Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN).
Led by a former PDP chairman in Ondo State, Ebenezer Alabi, and the Director General of Omo Ilu Foundation, Otunba Leke Adekoya, the politicians told reporters at the office of the new party on Old Ife Road in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, that they left the PDP because the Ahmed Makarfi group was not magnanimous in victory.
Omo Ilu Foundation is the mass mobilisation arm of Senator Buruji Kashamu’s political organisation.
The Supreme Court, last week, recognised Makarfi as PDP’s authentic chairman.
The judgment technically removed Sheriff, who had occupied the position following the judgments of lower courts.
Alabi accused the Makarfi group of displaying arrogance and making reckless statements about Sheriff’s group.
The former PDP chairman accused Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore of substituting the names of members of state executive with their supporters at PDP’s national headquarters in Abuja.
He said the same thing happened in Oyo State.
Alabi noted that as followers of Ali Modu Sheriff, they could no longer cope with the impunity in the PDP, which he said was the original cause of disagreement between the two groups.
He said: “The purpose of the struggle was to stamp out impunity in the party. We thought the Supreme Court judgment would teach us a good lesson, but it did not. PDP has now been taken over by vampires that we cannot co-habit with.
“We, who believe in the leadership of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff have, therefore, decided to move en masse to the Mega Party of Nigeria (MON). It was registered in 2010 as Mega Progressives Party (MPP) but we are transforming it to the new name to show the strength. The name will change officially next week.”
Alabi said members of his group left the PDP for the likes of Fayose, who he accused of bragging over the party’s control in the Southwest.
The former PDP chief said the party would soon realise that power belongs to the people who determine the destiny of candidates through the ballot, not a few individuals who overestimate themselves.
He said the leadership was already talking to all members of the group in the five other regions to come over to Mega Party in order to show their strength in the next general election.
According to him, happenings in the few months ahead will confirm that the PDP has been overtaken by events.
Alabi said though the Supreme Court judgment was a surprise, the members expected the Makarfi group to reconcile with the other group to reposition the party for the 2019 election.
He said: “But the Makarfi group chose not to be magnanimous in victory. First, they talked about offering us amnesty, as if we were militants. Recently, the Acting National Secretary also said he would not be surprised to see Sheriff join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“While Governor Fayose was also returning from Abuja, he stopped at Ikere-Ekiti, where he addressed people, making reckless statements. It was a display of arrogance of the highest order.”
Alabi said the group would soon make public the names of their leaders in the Southwest.
Also at the briefing were Oyo State Coordinator of Omo Ilu Foundation, Alhaji Kolawole Ibrahim, Chief Segun Odekunmi and Mrs Mary Anjorin, from Osun State.