Allegations of Fraud trail just Concluded Lagos PDP Congresses in Agege LGA

The Peoples Democratic party (PDP) in Agege Local Government has described the list of the officials of the party after the local government congress held on 25th September and 5th the October 2021 as fake.

The list of officials, which emanated from the National Secretarial, Wadata Plaza in Abuja, was said to have been falsified by certain discredited politicians after their attempts to disrupt the Congresses were thwarted.

In a letter of complaint written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated 18th October 2021 and signed by Chief Wakeel Olawale Liady of the Bridge Chambers, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the aggrieved newly elected members said the list of officials released by the National Secretariat of the PDP was totally different from the result and the winners at the Congress.

The National Secretariat had in a letter dated October 19th with the heading: Approval of New Ward and Local Government area (LGA) Executive Committee Members (EXCO MEMBERS) in Lagos State with Ref No: PDP/DOM/GF.V/VOL2/20-143B published the names of officer of the ward and local government in Agege, which the people of the constituency are now contesting as being at variance with what transpired at the congresses.

In their letter of complaint, Chief Liady, counsel to the democratically elected officers in Agege, who also emerges as the Legal Adviser of PDP at the congress in Agege, said they were shocked to see the published names called ‘Authentic’ and described the purported list as ‘an orchestration of falsehood, fabrication of illegality and mere fallacy to undermine the democratic values and norms of their great party, PDP.’

The letter stated that some individuals sat down in a corner and compiled some fake names as the winners of the Congress in Agege, noting that the list was in total breach of what happened at the Congress in Agege Local Government.

Liady stated that the PDP in Agege conducted elections into various offices freely and fairly. He said: “We conducted an election to elect party’s officers. Interestingly, all the posts contested for were unopposed. At the end of the election, the Congress Committee members informed us that they had been directed to harmonized lists of various factions.

“When the faction led by Hon. Muka Popoola refused and insisted on the democratic election already conducted, the Congress Committee Members said they had no choice than to submit the result of election.

“However, when the PDP published the list of names of Agege LGA Executive Committee members, a different list was published. One Otun Olayiwola, who did not partake in the LGA congress was published as the LGA Chairman as against Hon. Muka popoola, who actually emerged as the winner in the election of the 5th October 2021. This list bearing the name of Otun Olayiwola is fake!”

Liady opined that what the authentic officials dully elected at the said congress wanted to clear to the whole world was that; there was an election of the party officers in Agege PDP secretariat where Hon. Muka Popoola emerged as the Agege LGA chairman; that the authentic result of the congress was changed either in transit by the Congress committee or at the PDP Secretariat, Abuja.

He also said that Otun Olayiwola, whose name came out later, never participated in the Congress ad so Members of Agege LGA PDP were demanding for the publication of authentic list or they will invite the police, the EFCC to investigate and head to the court to challenge the infraction.

Chief Liady also stated that this manner of doctoring results of properly conducted elections has become a recurring decimal in the PDP.

He said similar thing had happened to him 2018 in Agege Local Government when the party conducted a primary election for the House of Representatives position.

He said he contested and polled 103 votes to beat his opponent, who scored 4 votes, adding that when the result got to the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, the result was changed and one guy of shady character by name Oluwole Atanda Adedapo was forwarded to INEC as the winner of the primary election.
Laidy, it was gathered, challenged this change in court, but stated that some influential members of the party reached out to some judges to prevail on their colleague so as to tilt the hand of the clock in their favour but that the Judge in question declined to so do and the matter suffered protracted adjournment and the whole matter was disrupted at the end.

He vowed that he and his other officers would resist this injustice this time round and would pursue their matter within the framework of law to a logical conclusion.

Also, one Mr. Olarenwaju Dipeolu said he was surprised seeing his name as the Agege LGA Deputy Chairman on the purported and fake list published by Office of the National Organising Secretary tagged as ‘authentic list’ when he in fact bought forms and contested as LG General Secretary.

‘I even emerged as LG Secretary but cannot understand when they swapped my post undemocratically’ says Mr. Olarenwaju, aka ‘Gadafi’.

To the PDP Chairmanship candidate in the just concluded Local Government Election in Orile-Agege LCDA, Hon. (Chief) Akinyemi Akintoye (Aka. Yemi Toye) swapping of office for Gadafi even if it is illegal, is still better than their case in Ward I, Agege Local Govt.

‘The list of excos in Ward J was also repeated in this ward. It is not a mistake. It is intentional because Hon. Wole Adedapo did not have anybody in Ward I. He prefered that Ward I did not have exco than to have Ward Exco.

‘Mind you, he, Wole Adedapo had been expelled from the party since 2019 following his falsification of his party’s membership card.’