Lack of consensus cost Yoruba PDP chair – Makarfi

By Patrick Andrew

Abuja

Lack of consensus among the six aspirants from the South-west denied the region the opportunity of producing the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party at Saturday’s Convention, the immediate past chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi has declared.

Prince Uche Secondus from the South-south, emerged as the new national chairman of the party at the contest.

About six aspirants came up with the intent of occupying the party’s plum office from the South-west zone.

This list included Chief Bode George, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, Professor Taoheed Adedoja,   Mr. Timi Agbaje, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Professor Tunde Adediran.

Of all the contestants, only Professor Adediran went into the race on the D-Day, with others withdrawing at different times for different reasons.

For instance, while withdrawing from the race some 24 hours to the convention, George, a former deputy national chairman of the party in the zone, expressed reservation at the party’s decision not to micro-zone the office to the South-west.

Although Adeniran was later presented at the convention as the region’s consensus candidate few hours before the exercise, Makarfi said the region never had a true consensus candidate for the chairmanship position.

Makarfi, who featured on Channels Television programme monitored in Abuja yesterday, blamed the zone’s inability to reach a consensus on what he called “damaging campaign.”

He said: “For the South-west, it was at the convention venue that they resolved on a consensus candidate. And even then, another candidate came to the state box and met the leaders and said, look, they never resolved, that he was still in the race. So, it was a total confusion.

“Somebody signed on behalf of other candidates and said ‘we now have a consensus candidate and please support him’ and another going round and saying ‘no, we don’t have a consensus candidate.’

“The whole issue of the south-west was its inability to put itself in order in good time, and then allowing some characters that cannot stand up in terms of credibility to occupy the political and media landscape; all kinds of abuses.

“And we cautioned them that that negative campaign by one individual was damaging them as people and members of the PDP, and they needed to call that person to order. Still, they never called him to order. And as far as I know, ninety-percent of PDP members that person comes to, will run away.”

 

Leave a Reply