The embattled Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Engr. Bayo Dayo, on Wednesday described the party’s 2019 governorship candidate, Senator Buruji Kashamu, as a “bad politician” who does not care about the interest of his followers.
Dayo, who was suspended by the State Working Committee (SWC) of the PDP having fallen out with Kashamu, accused him (Kashamu) of masterminding the suspension drama, using those he called “amateur politicians.”
He equally declared that the ward and local government congresses earlier conducted in the state “can no more stand” in the spirit of the reconciliatory moves to unite the factions of PDP in the state.
Speaking with newsmen at his residence in Ijebu – Igbo, Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state, the embattled chairman rubbished the suspension, saying only the National Working Committee of the PDP can take any disciplinary measure against him.
Daily Trust reports that the PDP loyal to Kashamu, in a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary, Oyejide Sunkanmi, had on Monday announced the suspension of Dayo as the State Chairman, citing alleged anti-party activities.
Also, Kashamu, in a statement personally signed on Tuesday accused Dayo of betrayal, saying he was hell-bent on trading the party structure for “mere N100m.”
But Dayo said, as an out-going Chairman, he had championed unity between the two factions of the PDP, a move, he said Kashamu rebuffed.
He noted that PDP’s popularity has been dwindling in the state following the protracted crisis, but regretted that Kashamu “is not interested in the unity of the PDP.”
“We tried it in 2011, we failed. We failed in 2015. We failed in 2019. When Senator Buruji Kashamu contested for the Senate in 2015, he had over 120,000 votes (in Ogun East Senatorial District), but he only had 70,000 votes when he contested governorship in 2019. It means that we are reducing in popularity and we should not allow that to continue.
“So, I thought if we can end the crisis, it will be a big glory before leaving office. If we can unite ourselves and work together, but Senator Buruji Kashamu does not want that settlement. He wants to go on and on, and be giving us irrelevant orders. If he gives order sometimes, whether we like it or not, we follow his order, but politics is not run that way.
“He is a very good leader, no doubt. But he is not a good politician. A good politician should be thinking of his followers. We should be thinking of all the young men and women that are behind us. If we don’t win election, how are they going to benefit from government? It’s not going to happen,” he said.
Dayo denied allegation that he collected N50m “to sell” the party structure to the former House of Representatives, Ladi Adebutu’s faction, saying “I’m only interested in the unity of the party.”
Speaking of the congresses earlier conducted in flagrant disregard to the NWC’s directive, Dayo said: “The congresses can no more stand because we are doing reconciliation. We don’t want to leave anybody out. It’s going to be all inclusive. So, in our reconciliation efforts, we are going to divide positions in the ward, Local Government and the state.”
