TheCable

Segun Adewale, a businessman, says he is the substantive chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos state.

Adewale was accused of invading the Ikeja secretariat of the party, locking down the building and declaring that he had control of the party affairs in Lagos.

He later stepped aside and handed the secretariat to the board of trustees (BoT) members in March 2018 following internal crisis in the party, pending when the issues would be resolved.

An executive headed by Mashood Salvador was later established to run the affairs of the party in the state.

However, Salvador defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in September 2018 and an interim executive headed by Adegbola Dominic was constituted.

But Adewale said Dominic’s occupation of the seat was against the law.

While speaking at a meeting summoned by Bode George, a PDP leader in the state, Adewale alleged that Domnic with the connivance of some party members compromised PDP’s victory in the last governorship election.

In a statement, Adewale said the time scheduled for the 90-day interim government of Dominic, elapsed on December 21, 2018.

He argued that the letter confirming him as chairman of the party in the state in May 2016 mandates him to hold the position till June 2021.

“The letter confirming my chairmanship states my tenure expires in 2021 June. The letter didn’t state I should step aside,” Adewale said.

“I stepped aside voluntarily to stem the prolong crises in Lagos PDP. What I did was to allow peace to reign for the national leadership to allow full reconciliation.

“So, I decided to step aside. They then brought in Moshood Salvador. Salvador later left for APC. So, they said they needed somebody to fill the gap because of election. That was why they brought in Dr. Dominic and they gave him 90 days to act. His 90 days tenure has since expired and currently, we don’t have a chairman in that secretariat. That was the reason why I went there, chased them out.

“Right now, I am the state chairman of the party based on the letter I have, based on the election that was held before they asked me to step aside.”