IBADAN — HOPES of quick resolution of the leadership crisis rocking the Alliance for Democracy (AD) appeared to have dimmed as one of the factional leaders of the party, Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa, declared yesterday in Ibadan that he was not prepared to negotiate away his post as the national chairman of the party to make peace in the party.
Akinfenwa who got a tumultuous reception by party faithful Tuesday said at the Trade Fair Complex that though he was not averse to the moves to reunite the party, he would hold on to his position as national chairman because he was elected at the authentic national convention of the party. He said that he would rather advise his colleague in the other faction, Chief Bisi Akande, to give up his claim to the national chairmanship of the party so that the party could recoup and wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party.But former Commissioner for Finance in Osun State when Akande was governor, Chief Lere Adebayo, said that the crisis in the AD would be resolved next Monday when the elders of the party meet. Chief Adebayo who said that if Chief Bola Ige were to be alive the crisis would not have gone out of control appealed to party members and faithful to accept whatever the outcome of the elders meeting would be in the interest of the party and the suffering masses.
Akinfenwa used the opportunity of the reception to warn members of the party that have been canvassing support for presidential aspirants of the PDP to stop henceforth because they were sending wrong signals to the people stressing that a definite declaration by the party on the matter would soon be made.He stated that the AD would not make the mistake it made in 2003 when it failed to present a presidential candidate for the election. noting that the party would present its candidate this time around, but the time for that had not come yet for that.
The AD factional leader also said the party was yet to decide which zones of the country will produce the next presidential candidate of the party .
He condemned the economic policies of the PDP controlled federal government and accused it of further pauperizing the people especially over the escalating price of petroleum products which he said was leading to deforestation.
The former Senate Leader of AD said that the people were losing their political power because the PDP has subverted the people’s power to elect their leaders.
