My struggle for Lagos PDP chairmanship is to save party from Olabode George – Adewale
MAY 4, 2019

Otunba Segun Adewale, popularly known as Aeroland, is not a stranger to crisis, especially when crisis in the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is concerned.
He had earlier had a running battle with some leaders over the chairmanship of the state chapter of the party, but had to step aside to allow Hon. Adegoke Salvador ascend the position following the intervention of the national leadership of the party.
But, with the defection of Salvador to the All Progressives Congress (APC) just before the 2019 election, Adewale is back again laying claims to the chairmanship position. When PATRICK OKOHUE met him, he spoke about his motivation, noting that his interest is to see things done right.
Many things have happened in the Lagos chapter of the PDP, especially as far as you are concerned, you even left at a point to contest the governorship of Ekiti State on another platform, but now you are back claiming chairmanship of the Lagos PDP, what is going on?
This is my letter dated February 26, 2016 confirming my position and that of my executives, signed by Ali Modu Sheriff and Prof. Wale Oladipo, the letter was addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Director of SSS and INEC, so there is no confusion about it, this letter states that I am supposed to be the chairman from May 2016 to 2020, but then there were challenges everywhere.
People went to court and we also got judgement from the court and my name was also there too. But during that crisis, because this time there were two opposing groups in Lagos, when we did our congress, Chief Bode George also did a congress on his own and appointed chairmen as he has been doing since 1999 and we have been failing.
We also did our own and I became the chairman, because I didn’t come from Chief Bode George he will not allow, because he has personified PDP Lagos as his own personal business, so he didn’t allow and for a year and half we kept fighting and when the election was getting closer, the national leadership of the party, through Uche Secondus called us to order and said we should reconcile.
So when we reconciled they said give Bode George as the leader, who has been in the corridors of power for so long, he knows these people and because of that they will always say let us give it to Chief Bode George and once that happens,
it means that year we are going to fail again, I knew we were going to lose the 2019 election, but if I keep fighting and we lose the election they will blame it on me, so I had to step aside and they said they wanted Adegoke Salvador, Salvador never won any congress, he was chosen.
But George started having problems again with Salvador, because Salvador too wants to win election, so Salvador was forced out of the party, he had to go to APC.
Was it Salvador’s exit that created the current problem?
In a way yes, with that there was a vacuum again and the constitution in section 46, 47 states that if the chairman of the PDP leaves, the only way to fill that vacant position is by one Congress or the state executive committee comes together and vote for a new chairman from the same Senatorial District as the last one that left, very simple.

But Chief Bode George and the National Vice Chairman, South West, Dr. Eddy Olafeso did not even mind our constitution at all, they jettisoned the constitution and only went ahead to satisfy Chief Bode George and said Dominic you are the chairman, without election, no congress, no ratification by the state executive committee.
But that happened before the election and you did nothing then, what happened now?
I was supposed to start fighting again, but it was about three months to election, so I decided to hold my peace and allow the decision of Olabode George and Olafeso.
All the monies that came into the party within that period they held on to the money, and I know it’s because of the money they are doing what they are doing, but we don’t care about the money, we want to win election.
A lot of the South South, South East people are dying for us, every four years they go and vote for us, let us go and win, but because it was just three months to election I allowed them, but I was fighting indirectly.
Dominic has 90 days to end his tenure, so after election there was vacancy again.

The constitution does not allow acting chairman, it must be chairman, after that George wanted to field another chairman and we said fine go through the constitution of the party,
but he refused, so I said if that is the case me too I am a chairman, that is what happened, so, I am just claiming to be chairman, because if he can on his own be doing that every four years without recourse to the constitution, I can also lay claim to the position,
I have documents and judgement that confirms that I am also the chairman, because sometimes to solve a problem you have to create another problem, so, I am trying to create a problem for that problem that Bode George causes to be solved, otherwise we have already lost 2023 in advance, because Dominic did not even win his polling booth, Bode George did not even win his polling booth.

We had about 11 House of Representatives candidates that won election, but none of you heard about it, INEC had to ask for a rerun, there was not a single statement from the PDP to say this is cheating, Rita in Ajeromi Ifelodun is still doing a second rerun, Rita won, we won in Ojo, we won in Surulere, Oshodi Isolo, another one in Ikorodu, Somolu, but there was nobody in PDP to even write a statement condemning the act of INEC, rather PDP executive through Chief Olabode George are now supporting APC that took our positions, saying that those claiming to have won election on PDP platform are not even members of the PDP,
we are now the ones testifying against our own, we can’t continue that way, that is why I am fighting, I am not fighting because of me, I don’t need any chairmanship, I am busy, I have over 100 staff, over 18 branches I don’t have time,
I have a lot of challenges on my neck, but our generation is dying, we can’t allow somebody with one leg in PDP, another leg in APC.
From your explanations, your intentions are clear, but earlier while you were trying to resolve your differences with Salvador, Secondus came in, but in this instance have you also tried to approach Secondus to try to seek solution to the face-off?
The Solution is in the constitution, we cannot continue to jettison the constitution because of Chief Olabode George.
Since 1999 Chief Olabode George has not won any election, I am not talking about winning election in Lagos, I am talking about winning his polling booth, if he can give me a document that he has won his polling booth I will leave PDP,
I will not even do politics anymore, he has not won his polling booth not to talk of winning his ward or local government.
Infact in 2017, going into local government election when I was chairman, Chief Olabode George went on air, on Channels Television to say that the PDP was not contesting election, that the people should vote for Labour Party.
Meanwhile without any financial support from anybody we won six council seats. George and his group could not even win one seat.
I used my personal funds to fight, we actually won 21 seats, but those six seats we had to fight before the names of our candidates were announced. The only thing they are saying now is that Aeroland is now in ADP.

But is that claim not valid, because you contested governorship seat in Ekiti on ADP platform
Yes, I contested on the ADP platform, but I am not a member of ADP, and if anybody say they saw me somewhere decamping to ADP let them show evidence, I did not decamp.
How can you contest on the platform of a party when you are not a member?
Yes, let me tell you what happened, I left Lagos because I knew nothing will happen in Lagos, because when they told me to hand over to Salvador I knew its another failure, so why should I be wasting my time,
so, I went to Ekiti State, but when I got to Ekiti State I met another younger version of Bode George in the form of Ayo Fayose, that one said it will be over his dead body that I will contest on the PDP platform in Ekiti, what will I do, I want people to know me, so I had to use another platform.

There were so many platforms begging me, so I choose to use ADP, that is what happened, so immediately I finished the election I went back to my ward, because politics is local, even if you are at the National level, you have to go to your ward.
It is only if you guys go to my ward and they say I am not a member of the PDP that is when they will have a point, I have been back to PDP in my ward since July, both in Ekiti and Lagos.
What I did initially in Ekiti State is that a lot of people who didn’t want to vote for PDP because of Ayo Fayose, so rather than allow them vote for APC I said no, those are the kind of people I have and after the election I took them back to PDP and the Secretary of PDP in Ekiti State was there at the meeting ,

I even donated millions to support Abubakar Atiku’s campaign and I have been giving millions in my ward. I have reintegrated myself back to the ward.
Afterall, Atiku was in PDP, left for APC and now back in PDP, Bode George and Salvador were in Labour before they returned to PDP, so there is no big deal about it, but you can’t force me to remain in ADP.
It’s like when Atiku came to PDP I will say no you are an APC person, no, it is what you want and what does the constitution say?
That is what I am saying, the constitution says even when you go another party and you come back they will accept you, but they give you a time frame within which you can contest, if I want to contest for anything now I have a time frame.
But, Bode George that went to Labour nobody is talking about him, infact Fayose went from PDP to APGA, to Labour, back to ACN to support Fayemi to become governor and back to PDP, so what are we talking about, my own case is that I wanted to contest election and they didn’t allow me and some people gave me their platform,

I never decamped, they are only using that as an excuse. What we should be talking about is what have I contributed to the party, in 2015 when I contested we won seven local governments, I have the results, I lost three local governments to rigging, that time we had eight Assembly, six Reps.

Now, to even have one Rep is struggle, we don’t have a single Assembly now in Lagos State, it is getting worse, must we continue in that, no, it can’t continue, that is the reason why I am fighting,
I am not fighting for myself, I have no time, but somebody must stand up to Chief Bode George, you have been in charge since 1999 and you have been failing, what do you want again.
Talking about standing up to Chief Bode George, many people within the party see it as a herculean task; do you think it is a battle you can win?
I have already won; I have taken over the Secretariat, though I didn’t put anybody on ground because it is expensive, but I can do whatever I want to do at anytime, I am the chairman.

If you are the chairman, who are the other members of your executive?
The executive that was appointed by Secondus during the reconciliation agreement is still valid. My interest is the chairmanship because the chairman left,
if Salvador was still there I have no problem, because during the reconciliation we all agreed, but now Salvador left, must we allow Chief Bode George to be the only one that will keep giving us chairman as he has been doing in the last 20 years and we have been failing, it is only a mad man that will be doing something the same way and expect a different result.
What is your relationship with Jimi Agbaje, because some people believe that you are fighting Chief Bode George because George’s group is fighting Agbaje and perhaps you are being sponsored by Agbaje?
Agbaje cannot sponsor me in this life, because Agbaje and I are not even in good terms, during the last election I told him this is the way we can win the election, he didn’t even allow me.

I was the DG Lagos West for Agbaje, he didn’t allow me, all my plans, everything I did, everything he was doing was in secrecy, when we said ok let us have the names of the polling booth agents,
let’s have a meeting, let’s train them, he kept telling me I am coming, so I don’t have any business with Agbaje, he knows that, even till the last day of election.
Throughout the election the only money I collected from Agbaje is N100,000, from the billions that entered Lagos, I spent my own millions on his behalf when he would not do the right thing.

Agbaje is very strong headed, he doesn’t listen to anybody, he want to do things his own way and that is why he keep failing, losing in election, everything is not about money, we can manage whatever little money he has, but he wants to do things his way, so Agbaje cannot sponsor me.
You said any attempt for Bode George to continue in the leadership of the PDP in Lagos State that the party has already lost the 2023 election, how do you mean?
Yes, that is very true and I will go on air to tell Lagosians, especially the South South, South East people, not to bother themselves because their votes will not count, because it is Chief Bode George’s people that will count the votes of PDP in favour of APC, so there is no need.

But what are your plans to ensure Lagos PDP does well?
That is what I am doing
What are your reconciliatory plans?
I am not reconciling anything with anybody; we have been doing reconciliations since the time of Funsho Williams, yet losing elections.

But are members of the party with you?
Yes, the members of the party that wants to win election are with me, those who have been benefiting from Bode George’s losses are with him, so there is no need for me to reconcile.

But, then there is division
Look, if we have 20 percent of people who are honest in Lagos PDP we will win the election, we don’t need 100 percent, that is what I am saying, there is no need for you to have 80 percent of thieves and you say you are working with them, you can’t pour a new wine in an old wine skin, it’s impossible, the bottle will break, so I will rather go with 20 percent and win the election, I don’t need the whole.

How can you have a party where we cannot count ourselves, since 1999 we don’t know our members and our strength, we can’t count our money, the money we are making maybe by dues and the rest, we don’t know, there is no accountability, again we can’t even count our votes, how do you win an election, three things.
We can’t count ourselves as members, how many do we have in ward A1, M2, we don’t know, no data base, we can’t count the total money we have been receiving from members, we can’t even pay our rent.
Despite the billions that enter Lagos we still owe the Landlord, we can’t even count our votes, with 18,000 polling units in Lagos, PDP has never put men in all the 18,000 polling units, so when we can’t even count out votes how do we win election.
Those are the three things I want to do, and once we do those three things we will win, do you know why?
Because a lot of Lagosians are suffering, they are under bondage, draconian laws everywhere, triple taxation, from the state, Federal, local government, all manner of taxes, even LASTMA arresting people against the law to raise money, so, the people who want to vote for you are there, but you have to put the right people at the polling units.

When I contested election, INEC gave the result sheet to a PDP agent, one of their person, to verify and assent, he said no that APC won the place,
he is dead now though, just imagine, we have won, INEC has declared, PDP was telling INEC that no it is APC that won, it happened either in G North or G South.
That is why I say that it is the PDP that is rigging for APC, APC is not winning any election, even Tinubu said that much after the first election this time around that APC only tried in five local governments,
that they failed in the rest, that is the point and the last election was against a ramshackle PDP, against a PDP that was still working for Asiwaju Tinubu, so we don ‘t need 100 percent members to join me, if we have 30 percent I am ok.

Quote
In 2015 when I contested we won seven local governments, I have the results, I lost three local governments to rigging, that time we had eight Assembly, six Reps. Now, to even have one Rep is struggle, we don’t have a single Assembly now in Lagos State,
it is getting worse, must we continue in that, no, it can’t continue, that is the reason why I am fighting, I am not fighting for myself, I have no time, but somebody must stand up to Chief Bode George, you have been in charge since 1999 and you have been failing, what do you want again.

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