President Jonathan's Christmas Gift still causing Crisis in Oyo PDP

 

Christmas is long over, however, President Goodluck Jonathan's N15million Christmas gift to the Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still generating ripples.

Alhaji Yinka Taiwo, Chairman, Oyo state chapter of the PDP, told DAILY POST his part of the whole drama.

Taiwo said he first got information about the Presidency’s gift through Alhaji Ahmed Gulak,Special Adviser to the president on Political Matters while in the United Kingdom. Gulak informed him that the gift was given to Chief Saka Balogun,another PDP chieftain to be held in trust for him until his return. Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Jumoke Akinjide also informed him of the said money.

However, on returning from the United Kingdom, Chief Balogun refused to hand the money over to him. Taiwo's words, "But when I returned to Nigeria, I called the minister for the money and she refused to hand it over, telling me to go and meet Chief Saka Balogun, who had also asked me to choose two representatives for the purpose of sharing the money. I told the minister that Chief Balogun was not the only leader of the party and also refused to meet with him because he had no ground to be involved in how anything would be shared in the party.

"I state without fear of immodesty that whatever is to be done to the money should not be at the instance of Chief Saka Balogun but the party executive and all these talks about factions should stop because even Chief Balogun partook in the ward, local government and state congresses that threw up the authentic executives of the party. Chief Balogun and his sponsors should tell the world where the factions are, who has been representing the Oyo State PDP in all statutory meetings at the zonal and national levels? There is no faction in the party; it is only those who think they can gain from playing divisive politics that have been peddling reports about factions.

"Who is Chief Balogun? Why him and not any other leader of the party? What part does he have to play in the withholding of the money belonging to all party members? He should tell the world. Of course, an elder should not become a pawn acting out premeditated scripts because of pecuniary gains and I must say I was surprised to read that he actually credited a report which I never authored to me and that tells you of his complicity in the withholding of the money, Taiwo added.