Burning Of PDP Flags: Party leaders give Omisore 72 hours to apologise

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State have
threatened to initiate disciplinary actions against former deputy
governor of the state, Iyiola Omisore, for allegedly supervising
the burning of the party’s flags in Osogbo on Thursday.

The leaders, who are former PDP political office holders, while
addressing journalists in Osogbo on Friday, said they were shocked
at the action of the former senator, saying he would need to
apologise and condemn the action of his supporters or face
disciplinary action.

“That Otunba Iyiola Omisore must within the next 72 hours
condemn the barbaric action of the hoodlums who desecrated the PDP
flag in his office yesterday and tender an unreserved apology to
the leadership of the party for the unacceptable conduct,” read the
statement presented by former Majority Leader of the Osun State
House of Assembly, Tajudeen Adeyemi.

“That Otunba Omisore must unequivocally state his stance on his
continued membership of the party or otherwise rather in view of
the conflicting statements emanating from his aides and confidants
in the last 24 hours.

“That in the event of Otunba Omisore choosing to remain in the
PDP, he must within the same 72hours withdraw all court cases
instituted by him through his proxies and explore the internal
mechanism in the party to resolve any grievances he has.

“That in the event of a failure of Otunba Omisore to do the
above, we call the leadership of the party at all levels to take
appropriate disciplinary action against him in order to show that
no single individuals inordinate ambition is above the larger
interest of the party.”

The forum includes former members of the National Assembly,
ex-members of the Osun State House of Assembly, ex-commissioners,
ex-local government chairpersons and vice-chairpersons and
councillors, as well as other government officials.

“We are all leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic
Party in Osun State and are therefore very interested in the
progress of the party and its success in all elections beginning
with the Governorship polls in September this year,” the statement
further read.

“We use this medium to state that we are deeply shocked,
saddened and disappointed at the most recent conduct of a former
deputy governor who is also a former senator, Otunba Iyiola
Omisore, who was reported to have personally supervised the burning
of the PDP flag and other party symbols by some hoodlums at his
office in Osogbo yesterday.

“Picture showing him superintend over the burning of PDP flags
and banner at the former PDP secretariat, Ogo Oluwa, went viral on
all media yesterday. It is a fact that his yesterday’s action was
the peak of the senator’s self-determined war against the PDP, the
party of which he has been a major beneficiary.”

The group also noted that Mr. Omisore was fighting the party
because he did not want any competition within the party, despite
the promise by the national secretariat that there would be a level
playing field for all interest contenders.

“The hallmark of this untoward act was yesterday’s desecration
of the party’s symbols in an apparent show of gross indiscipline
and ingratitude,” the group stated.

“This is quite unbecoming of a man who had been greatly favoured
by the PDP in his times of trials and need and still hoped to fly
the flag of the party as a governorship candidate.

“It is also on record that two other political parties recently
approached by Otunba Omisore in his political desperation as his
Plan B have both rejected him hence his utter state of confusing
utterances after yesterday’s events.”

But Mr. Omisore, in a statement from his media office on Friday,
blamed the burning of the flags on his supporters who were
aggrieved over the outcome of the congresses held by the party in
the state.

He also rejected the calls to withdraw the cases in court, and
urged his supporters and the people of Osun State to remain calm
and await the outcome of the ongoing suit on controversy
surrounding the conduct of the PDP congresses in the state.

The statement, titled, “Re – Burning of Flag/Omisore Defects,”
URNING OF FLAG/ OMISORE DEFECTS” noted that the action of the
supporters was to protest against the alleged bias by the party’s
national secretariat in Abuja in the conduct of the congresses.

Mr. Omisore said there was the need for his supporters to
continue to remain calm and law abiding even in the face of likely
provocation as his main concern “is to ensure that peace and
stability continue to reign supreme in the state.”

He urged them to “await court decision on the issue before any
other step could be taken.”

He urged his supporters to be calm and and focussed on the task
of “rescuing Osun state out of the present economic doldrums.”

“We appreciate the fears, concerns, and anxiety of our national
political class especially PDP, opinion leaders, professional
colleagues in engineering and academics , business associates party
faithful, elder statesmen, media practitioners and good people of
Osun State on the above subject matter,” he said .

He added that he was determined “to see that the impunity in the
PDP is put on check and becomes a past tense being the main reason
we lost the presidency in 2015.”

Mr. Omisore assured his supporters that the ongoing cases in
court would correct all the anomalies in the last congresses
held.

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State have
threatened to initiate disciplinary actions against former deputy
governor of the state, Iyiola Omisore, for allegedly supervising
the burning of the party’s flags in Osogbo on Thursday.

The leaders, who are former PDP political office holders, while
addressing journalists in Osogbo on Friday, said they were shocked
at the action of the former senator, saying he would need to
apologise and condemn the action of his supporters or face
disciplinary action.

“That Otunba Iyiola Omisore must within the next 72 hours
condemn the barbaric action of the hoodlums who desecrated the PDP
flag in his office yesterday and tender an unreserved apology to
the leadership of the party for the unacceptable conduct,” read the
statement presented by former Majority Leader of the Osun State
House of Assembly, Tajudeen Adeyemi.

“That Otunba Omisore must unequivocally state his stance on his
continued membership of the party or otherwise rather in view of
the conflicting statements emanating from his aides and confidants
in the last 24 hours.

“That in the event of Otunba Omisore choosing to remain in the
PDP, he must within the same 72hours withdraw all court cases
instituted by him through his proxies and explore the internal
mechanism in the party to resolve any grievances he has.

“That in the event of a failure of Otunba Omisore to do the
above, we call the leadership of the party at all levels to take
appropriate disciplinary action against him in order to show that
no single individuals inordinate ambition is above the larger
interest of the party.”

The forum includes former members of the National Assembly,
ex-members of the Osun State House of Assembly, ex-commissioners,
ex-local government chairpersons and vice-chairpersons and
councillors, as well as other government officials.

“We are all leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic
Party in Osun State and are therefore very interested in the
progress of the party and its success in all elections beginning
with the Governorship polls in September this year,” the statement
further read.

“We use this medium to state that we are deeply shocked,
saddened and disappointed at the most recent conduct of a former
deputy governor who is also a former senator, Otunba Iyiola
Omisore, who was reported to have personally supervised the burning
of the PDP flag and other party symbols by some hoodlums at his
office in Osogbo yesterday.

“Picture showing him superintend over the burning of PDP flags
and banner at the former PDP secretariat, Ogo Oluwa, went viral on
all media yesterday. It is a fact that his yesterday’s action was
the peak of the senator’s self-determined war against the PDP, the
party of which he has been a major beneficiary.”

The group also noted that Mr. Omisore was fighting the party
because he did not want any competition within the party, despite
the promise by the national secretariat that there would be a level
playing field for all interest contenders.

“The hallmark of this untoward act was yesterday’s desecration
of the party’s symbols in an apparent show of gross indiscipline
and ingratitude,” the group stated.

“This is quite unbecoming of a man who had been greatly favoured
by the PDP in his times of trials and need and still hoped to fly
the flag of the party as a governorship candidate.

“It is also on record that two other political parties recently
approached by Otunba Omisore in his political desperation as his
Plan B have both rejected him hence his utter state of confusing
utterances after yesterday’s events.”

But Mr. Omisore, in a statement from his media office on Friday,
blamed the burning of the flags on his supporters who were
aggrieved over the outcome of the congresses held by the party in
the state.

He also rejected the calls to withdraw the cases in court, and
urged his supporters and the people of Osun State to remain calm
and await the outcome of the ongoing suit on controversy
surrounding the conduct of the PDP congresses in the state.

The statement, titled, “Re – Burning of Flag/Omisore Defects,”
URNING OF FLAG/ OMISORE DEFECTS” noted that the action of the
supporters was to protest against the alleged bias by the party’s
national secretariat in Abuja in the conduct of the congresses.

Mr. Omisore said there was the need for his supporters to
continue to remain calm and law abiding even in the face of likely
provocation as his main concern “is to ensure that peace and
stability continue to reign supreme in the state.”

He urged them to “await court decision on the issue before any
other step could be taken.”

He urged his supporters to be calm and and focussed on the task
of “rescuing Osun state out of the present economic doldrums.”

“We appreciate the fears, concerns, and anxiety of our national
political class especially PDP, opinion leaders, professional
colleagues in engineering and academics , business associates party
faithful, elder statesmen, media practitioners and good people of
Osun State on the above subject matter,” he said .

He added that he was determined “to see that the impunity in the
PDP is put on check and becomes a past tense being the main reason
we lost the presidency in 2015.”

Mr. Omisore assured his supporters that the ongoing cases in
court would correct all the anomalies in the last congresses
held.