The Peoples Democratic Party, Lagos State chapter, has vowed to repel any direct or decoy action aimed at blackmailing or attacking any of its members ahead of the 2015 general elections.
The Party was reacting to a statement credited to former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, was paying more attention to politics than the growing threat of insecurity.
The Lagos PDP described Tinubu’s outburst as not only irrational, but a clear sign of being frustrated as he was desperate to hold on to the southwest and Lagos State in particular, following the loss of Ekiti State to PDP.
A statement by the state PDP spokesman, Gani Taofik on Thursday said: “On our part, we shall not underestimate the desperation of Tinubu. We, however, promise him that no hatchet plot against any of our members shall prosper”.
The Lagos State PDP consequently advised the former governor to face reality as the political tide in the Southwest and Lagos in particular was changing.
“One of such is to accept the expiry of his control and the political superiority of Senator Obanikoro to defeat him in a free and fair election.
“Historically, Tinubu’s current Political travails can be traced to the last Local Government elections in Lagos State, when the young son of Senator Obanikoro, Ibrahim Babajide, defeated the former governor in his Polling Unit.
“The former governor had since then seen Senator Obanikoro as a potential threat to his political and extortionate control in the State, thus Tinubu’s sponsored media and physical attacks on Obanikoro and some of our other leaders. We remember well the buildup of events that led to the murder of Engr. Funsho Williams, our Governorship hopeful in 2007. We are thus not going to be slow in reaction this time”, the statement read.
They also sounded the alarm that should any harm befall any of the party’s leaders, followers or governorship aspirants, the former governor should be held accountable.