The last may not have been heard of the crisis rocking the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
as the meeting between the committee set up by the Presidency and leaders of the two factions of the party ended in a deadlock.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the committee members, comprising the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadome, former PDP’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih and the PDP’s National Secretary, Abubakar Kawu Baraje met with the Joju Fadairo-led faction, believed to be loyal to the state governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, last Wednesday, at the Asoludero private residence of the governor in Shagamu.
The meeting did not have the other faction of the party loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in attendance.
It was reliably gathered that Daniel’s faction and the Jonathan team produced a list which gave the party’s standard bearer to Gbenga Nasir Isiaka while Obasanjo’s faction should produce three persons from whom the governorship candidate of the party would choose one as his running mate.
Sunday Tribune also gathered that the former President’s faction would produce candidates for two senatorial districts, namely Ogun West and Central, while Daniel was given Ogun East. It was also agreed that the former president’s faction would produce six House of Representatives candidates, while Daniel’s faction would produce three, with the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole, coming from Daniel’s faction. The governor’s faction, it was further learnt, would present three quarter of the House of Assembly members while the Obasanjo group would produce one quarter of the membership of the House.
It was also gathered that the committee, comprising Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, Abubakar Kawu Baraje and an unidentified person later met with Chief Obasanjo on Thursday to present the list agreed upon with the Joju Fadairo-led faction to him.
An insider source confided in Sunday Tribune that “The former president rejected the list presented to him.”
The source told Sunday Tribune that another meeting was also held at the presidency and President Goodluck Jonathan was expected to be in attendance on Friday, but due to the late arrival of the president from the presidential rally, the meeting could not hold as scheduled. Apart from the late arrival of the president, Chief Obasanjo was reported to have arrived the venue of the meeting before members of Daniel’s faction got there, submitted his list to the presidency and left.
Sunday Tribune learnt that Governor Daniel after waiting for a very long time for the arrival of the president left Abuja. He was said to have put a call through to the president where he assured President Jonathan that the PDP crisis in the state would not in any way affect his (Jonathan’s) electoral fortune in the April polls, saying that he would surely work for the victory of the president, not only in Ogun State but also in other states of the South West geo-political zone.
It was reliably gathered that loyalists of Governor Gbenga Daniel had mapped out strategies to finally dump the PDP following the inconclusive meetings held last week to reconcile the two factions. Daniel had also resolved not to involve himself in any political scheming that could scuttle the electoral fortunes of President Jonathan in April.
Meanwhile, loyalists of Governor Gbenga Daniel are expected to announce the party that they will defect to this week, though insinuations are rife in the state that he may finally pitch his tent with the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) as widely rumoured last week. This is likely to happen on Wednesday.
The Chairman of Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) harmonised executive, Chief Dayo Soremi, has, however, described as false and sponsored, the reports in some newspapers that the former president and chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, tore a purported peace list supposedly sent by President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a press statement issued on Saturday in Abeokuta, Soremi said: “Our BoT chairman, as an international elder statesman, has absolute respect for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which he had occupied as a military Head of State and as a two-term civilian President.
“We wish to state categorically that there was no list of candidates in Ogun State PDP other than the one submitted by the harmonised executives and approved by the national leadership of our party.
“The list containing our party’s flag bearers have been submitted and accepted by INEC. The only alteration we made was the accommodation of Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole, as directed by President Goodluck Jonathan.”
Soremi expressed happiness over the reaction of people to the Olurin/Oladunjoye governorship ticket since it was confirmed with the presentation of flag in Ibadan last Tuesday.
”I can tell you that even opposition parties in Ogun State are already imploding since the ticket was announced,” he added.
Soremi urged party faithful not to be deceived by people who have already made open their intention to defect and have since directed their followers to defect.
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