A socio-political group, Kwara Rebirth Group (KRG) has warned the aggrieved individuals in Osun State to stop their campaign of calumny against the chairman of the National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee (NRSC), Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki as it stated that all evidence point to the fact that the committee did not favour any individual or group in all the states where it intervened.
In a statement issued today in Ilorin and signed by its Co-ordinator, Otunba Biodun Alabi, the KRG noted that the contents of a press statement issued by one unknown person by the name Apesin-Abiodun Adegoke who claimed to be a PDP member from Modakeke Ward 3, Ife East Area Office, and published in the Vanguard newspapers were unfortunate and mere cheap blackmail.
It added that the chairman of the committee, Dr. Saraki, and other members of the committee only took up the thankless assignment of reconciling aggrieved party leaders and members because of their interest in saving a party that was then hemorrhaging and suffering from the exit of quality members without enjoying any benefit from the task as they used their resources to prosecute the assignment.
“It is, therefore, a disservice to the party for anybody to be weaving lies, falsehood and creating non-existing scenarios because some people believed that the only way they could have their way was to ensure that any recommendation that did not favour them would not be considered by the PDP national leadership.
“ On the committee’s intervention with stakeholders in Osun State, our group was privileged to know that the meeting was held on March 15, 2021, in Abuja as it did in most of the other states where the party had a crisis. From the commencement of the meeting, Dr. Saraki declared his closeness to the Adeleke family, particularly revealing that two of the members of the family (late Isiaka and Ademola) had been his colleagues in the Senate. He however made it clear that the fact will not prevent him from saying the truth and ensuring justice, equity, and fairness determined the outcome of the deliberations. After his statement, nobody raised any objection to his presiding over the meeting. Many of the stakeholders across the board praised and commended his objectivity and full disclosure.
“It is also a known fact that the reconciliation efforts in other states and later developments leading to the emergence of the new party leadership, the final report of the NRSC has not been submitted to the new NWC headed by Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. Therefore, the committee as a body, its chairman, Dr. Saraki, as a person, and other members could not be accused of playing any role in whatever decision the party leadership has taken, is contemplating, or may take on the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Osun State.
“Therefore, it is wrong to start waging a campaign of calumny against Saraki in a pre-emptive move to dissuade the NWC from taking decisions which will be in the overall interest of the party but which some individuals feel will not serve their selfish interest. It is even more unfortunate that libelous allegations are already being raised against the new NWC and the PDP national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
“From his antecedents, Dr. Saraki has never been accused of meddling in party affairs in any state. The tendentious press statement by the so-called Apesin-Abiodun Adegoke is capable of making genuine leaders refrain from helping the party to resolve problems in other zones and states. This is a move aimed at making all and sundry abandon Osun PDP to its crisis while the party continues to be bedeviled by self-inflicted and unnecessary internal division.
“It was obvious that the writer of that statement and his sponsors do not care about the interests of PDP in Osun State or the sacredness of the truth. All they care about is seizing and retaining the party structure, even if it is a dying party. That is why they were just mixing unrelated issues, jumbling dates, and different occurrences that happened at different times. It is left for the NWC to decide what they want to do with the division in Osun PDP or the final report of the NRSC when it is eventually submitted to it but the mischievous elements should leave Dr. Saraki out of their propaganda and mischief-making.
“We, therefore, appeal to all reasonable members of the PDP, the good people of Osun State, and the general public to disregard the claims contained in the malicious and mischievous statements published by the so-called Apesin-Abiodun. It has no iota of truth and is the product of a confused mind”, NRG stated.
Signed
Otunba Biodun Alabi
Co-ordinator, Kwara Rebirth Group (KRG)
