PDP chair: Why South-west can’t adopt consensus candidate

Ahead of the National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), crisis in the South-west zone of the party has remained unabated as two factional executives recently held simultaneous meetings which produced two positions. SAMINU IBRAHIM examines the implications.
At a time other chairmanship aspirants from the South south geo-political zone are criss- crossing the country and wooing potential delegates to the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contenders from the South-west, may go to the convention as a divided house. This was evident in the factional meetings held at separate locations in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital penultimate Wednesday, by two different executives.
The South west PDP is sharply polarized with Senator Buruji Kashamu (representing Ogun East) on one side, and Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, leading the other faction. The factional zonal executives are led by Dr. Eddy Olafeso on one side and the other by Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe are products of the fight for leadership of the zone.

Clash of interests
It is not exactly certain what originated the crisis, but it seems Senator Kashamu may have been angered by Fayose’s actions and intentions which many interpreted tended to give the impression of assuming leadership of the party in the south west. Some think the Ekiti state governor may have capitalised on the fact that he is the current chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum to lay claim to the leadership of the party in the zone.
Also, in Ogun State, the ‘war’ between Kashamu and the former governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, did not start today. There been no love lost between the two gladiators who had for quite some time been on each others’ neck over the control of the party machinery in the state.
Similarly, in Lagos state, the party’s former National Vice Chairman (South west), Chief Olabode George, and a chieftain of the PDP, Jimi Agbaje, cannot literally ‘live under the same roof’ because of differences in ideologies. Agbaje, who, has twice contested the gubernatorial elections but failed, believes the likes of Chief George were the hitch on his path. Agbaje, who contested against Akinwunmi Ambode of the APC, believes Chief George does not command grassroots followership, and therefore has no electoral credentials to be the leader of the zone.
Little wonder the factional zonal executives emerged from their meetings with two different positions on the quest of the zone to produce the next National Chairman of the party. Each position represents the view of the respective contenders for leadership of the South west zone.
Kashamu, who is believed to have thrown his weight behind the candidature of the former Minister of Education, and ex-Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Professor Tunde Adeniran, has stoutly resisted Gbenga Daniel’s aspiration to become the PDP national chairman, and allegedly vowed that it will not materialized.
A source, who pleaded anonymity says, “it will be difficult to reconcile Senator Kashamu and Otunba Gbenga Daniel before the convention, because the two are in different camps and they represent opposing interests”.

No to micro micro zone
Interestingly, and rising from the parallel meetings in Ibadan, the Olafeso camp unanimously insisted that the position of the National Chairman of the party earlier allotted to the zone should remain so “for equity, justice and fairness”.
In its resolution, Olafeso and his group called for the reduction in the numbers of the party’s National Chairmanship aspirants from the Southwest, while the Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe- led factional executives insisted that all aspirants from the zone should be allowed to contest.
In other words, the latter group is averse to the much talked about micro, micro zoning of the position to a section of the South west.
The Olafeso faction noted that the large numbers of aspirants from the Southwest may jeopardize the chances of the zone producing the next chairman of the PDP come December 9, 2017. The group thinks reduction would help them close ranks against others from the South south zone that have also declared interest in the position.
However, the group said it would be detrimental for the party to force any of the aspirants to step down for anybody, stressing that the party has no anointed candidate for the post.
“Let it be on record that we have at present the best of all candidates in the country. Chief Olabode George, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Professor Tunde Adeniran, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, Jimi Agbaje. But we want to take our team straight down there and say make your choice, not a situation that we will just bring an individual to the race.
“We will want to plead with all contestants that we should reduce the field, if we don’t reduce the field you get fragmented., and now that we’re competing with the South south, it’s very easy for us to share votes in a way that will be inimical to our dream of producing the chairman” Olafeso said.

Don’t narrow the field
Conversely, in the view of Ogundipe, all the National Chairmanship aspirants from the zone, who are currently on nationwide campaign, should be given equal opportunity to contest.
At the meeting, which had in attendance leading lights of the opposing group, Ogundipe insisted that it remained the legally constituted and authentic party executive in the South West. His fiercely opposed the suggested reduction in the number of aspirants from the zone. “Let be an open field, and let the best emerged.”

Let’s use primaries to decide
However, in a clear departure from the positions canvassed by both Ogundipe and Olafeso, emerged last Saturday, 18, November, following Governor Ayodele Fayose’s suggestion that primaries be conducted in zone to decide who flies the flag of the zone in the contest for the position of the PDP’s National Chairman.
Fayose, who made the suggestion when he hosted the former Governor of Ogun State, and his campaign team, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, in Ado-Ekiti, said presenting one contestant would brighten the chances of the zone to clinch the position in the December 9 national convention of the party.
“We need to get a consensus candidate from our zone to clinch the post. We should not go to the convention a divided house. I see nothing bad if we get all the delegates from the Southwest to vote in a shadow election for their preferred candidate. Then whoever emerges would be supported by all during the convention.
“If we propose that and majority of the aspirants agree, whoever does not agree would be seen as having no follower at all” Fayose added.
Further division came in the shape of the call by the Ogundipe-led group for the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee (NCC) to obey the rule of law and avoid act capable of affecting the convention. This followed an order of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, restraining the PDP from preventing the South west Zonal Executive Committee under his leadership and other delegates from the zone to the December 9 National Convention of the party.
Ogundipe said the Senator Makarfi-led NCC and the national leadership of the party have a duty not to encourage impunity and lawlessness if they were desirous of building a new PDP that will appeal to Nigerians and win elections in 2019.
“I say this because Eddy Olafeso and his gang never emerged from a valid South West Zonal congress. The Federal High Court, Lagos, in a ruling delivered in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/605/2016 on the 17th of May, 2016, the court expressly nullified the sham congress. Till date, the order has neither been set aside nor upturned on appeal.
“It should be further noted that in a final judgment delivered on the 24th of June, 2016, the court categorically stated that our tenure ends in October, 2018, having been elected at a special zonal congress held on the 11th of October, 2014 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The implication of this is that my exco remains the only validly elected and judicially sanctioned leadership of the party in the South West” the statement said.
It is against this backdrop that analysts are of the view that it may be extremely difficult for the South west to produce a consensus candidate that will slug it out with Prince Uche Secondus and Chief Raymond Dopkesi at the party’s convention.

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