Daily Trust - The Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos has aligned with the Labour Party to participate in the July 22 local government election in the state.
This followed the decision of the state Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to recognize the faction loyal to the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Daily Trust can reports that both factions - one headed by Hon. Mashood Salvador loyal to Makarfi and the other chaired by Otunba Segun Adewale – had sold forms to aspirants but LASIEC recognized Adewale popularly known as Aeroland and accepted his list of candidates for the election.
However, the Makarfi faction yesterday accused the Sheriff faction of plotting to blight the chances of PDP in the poll.
Salvador who addressed a press conference at his residence yesterday alongside members of his faction said his group had decided to seek political solution to the pending crisis since legal solution to the leadership crisis at the national level is being delayed.
"If legal solution is being delayed, we have taken to political solution to form a political alliance.
"We are PDP any day and anytime. We only have a pre-electoral political alliance with Labour Party to contest this coming Local Government election only. This is not the first time for this type of alliance in Nigeria", he said.
Salvador who said the electorates of Lagos are willing to vote for PDP stressed that the group had not defected to Labour but it is only using the platform to contest the LG polls. He directed its candidates to immediately start pasting posters with Labour Party symbols.
"I am now appealing to all lovers and sympathizers of PDP in Lagos State to cast their vote for" Labour PDP alliance" and vote Labour Party. It is an alliance. We never decamped to any party.
"We never declared for another party and we never dumped our dear PDP. We are the PDP strength in Lagos State. In this pre-electoral alliance, we have 342 Councillorship candidates and 52 Chairmanship candidates."
Meanwhile, the Sheriff Group's chairman condemned the move by the Salvador faction, saying the party had constituted a disciplinary committee to be chaired by Alhaji Wahab Owokoniran to investigate issues surrounding such behaviour.
Accordingly, the disciplinary committee is saddled with the responsibility of investigating all allegations with a view to identify those responsible and recommend appropriate punishments, he added.
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