The immediate past National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the southwest, Dr Eddy Olafeso, has appealed to the aggrieved members of the party who defected to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the wake of the October 10, 2020, governorship election of Ondo State to return to the PDP.

Starnews Nigeria reports that Olafeso begged the aggrieved PDP leaders in a meeting held with them on Thursday, at his residence in Okitipupa, the headquarters of Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The meeting was convened by Olafeso to pacify and resolve the acrimony among aggrieved members of the party who joined the ZLP across the 18 Local Governments of Ondo State during the last governorship election in the state.

Olafeso was joined by Nicholas Tofowomo, the Senator representing Ondo South at the Senate with Chief Oyedele Ibini, the immediate past Secretary of the PDP in Ondo State and other prominent party chieftains.

Recall that the PDP in Ondo state experienced a massive defection during the governorship campaign as some aggrieved members of the party pitched their tents with the ZLP led by the Candidate of the party, the Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi and Dr Olusegun Mimiko, the former governor of Ondo State and the National Leader of the ZLP popularly known as the third force during the Ondo State Governorship election.

A number of the party members who could not do anti-party had joined the ZLP to work against the PDP and its candidate, Mr Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), while some members of the PDP had remained in the party but allegedly worked for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In the wake of the governorship election, Starnews Nigeria had reported how the aggrieved PDP leaders cited alleged dictatorial attitude, inability to trust and carry other political camps along and the overbearing influence of the governorship candidate of the PDP as reasons for leaving the party for the ZLP.

Speaking on behalf of all the returnees, Banji Okunomo, a former gubernatorial aspirant of the PDP who led scores of PDP members into the ZLP demanded a level playing ground upon their return to the party.

“On behalf of all the returnees, we have agreed to return to the PDP. It is our original home. We left due to the mismanagement of the party and the domineering attitude of a few individuals who felt the PDP is their personal property.”

“However, we demand a level playing ground as we are returning home”, Okunomo said.

Olafeso encouraged all the returnees of a level playground.

“Let me encourage and assure all of you of a level playground. Your political future would be protected. Nobody will intimidate or treat anyone within the party as a second class citizen,” Olafeso told the returnees at the meeting as he welcomed them back home.

Meanwhile, before the meeting, Starnews Nigeria reports that some local government party chairmen of the PDP in Ondo State were in a closed-door session with Eddy Olafeso. The details of the meeting were sketchy as at press time.

Many members of the PDP who joined the ZLP from across the 18 local governments of Ondo State in the wake of October 10, 2020, governorship election were in attendance.