The State Executive Committee (SEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo has appointed Tola Alabere as its new acting chairman.
Politics Nigeria reports that Alabere was appointed chairman of the party by the SEC at an emergency meeting in Akure.
Prior to his appointment, Alabere was the vice chairman of the PDP in Ondo State.
According to some political watchers, this move will further deepen the leadership crisis in the party ahead of the November governorship election.
It would be recalled that nine out of the 11 members of the State Working Committee, had suspended the state chairman, accusing him of anti-party activities and actions detrimental to the party’s reputation.
The nine members of the State Working Committee (SWC) including Alabere, Dayo Awude, Oluseye Olujimi, Amos Fadope, Moses Awofade, Boluwaji Bamidele, Olawumi Fasonu, and Kennedy Peretei signed his suspension letter.
They had asked the embattled chairman to appear before the State Disciplinary Committee of the party for further interrogations next week.
The party said it would deal decisively with any incursion by the All Progressives Congress (APC) into its ranks.
Meanwhile, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, had dismissed the suspension, declaring it null and void.
Ologunagaba maintained that the state committee lacked the authority to suspend the chairman.
But the state chapter of the party defended the suspension, saying that according to the party’s constitution, all levels have the power to discipline erring members within their ranks, including the state chairman.
