PDP Chairmanship: Adeniran denies being sponsored by Obasanjo, IBB, Buruji, Atiku

A front-line contestant for the office of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Tunde Adeniran has warned against  attempts by some  persons to tarnish his image and derail the effort to realize his ambition.

The Director General of Adeniran Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam who addressed journalists Monday in Abuja said the  allegations that the former Minister of Education is being bankrolled by former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Senator Buruji Kashamu and Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is false.

“After our declaration for the chairmanship position, a lot of allegations and counter allegations have sprung up and a lot of campaign of calumny have being going on simply because our candidate is considered  a major threat to other aspirants to the chairmanship seat of the party.

“As if that did not fly, they started another thing, saying that Atiku Abubakar is the one sponsoring Prof. Adeniran. Firstly, Atiku is not member of the PDP and there was never a time that Adeniran and Atiku met to discuss his aspiration to become the party chairman.

“It is these people that are spreading the allegations that are daily making moves to get support from Atiku,”he said.

Gabam also denied insinuations that Adeniran is being funded by the Senator representing Ogun East senatorial district, Buruji Kashamu.

He said some people are trying to create a scenario that never existed, describing campaign of calumny against the chairmanship aspirant as very disturbing.

Regarding the allegation that the aspirant is also being backed by former military president, Ibrahim Babaginda, the campaign DG said that as former president of the country, “he has produced a lot of personalities, whether you like him or not, he has his own good sides. Does it make sense that because you are aspiring for a position in the party and you deny all your friends or people who have impacted positively in your life”. It doesn’t make sense.

He said that as part of consultations with leaders over his chairmanship aspiration, Adeniran has visited many party leaders and elder statesmen without necessarily publicizing it.

Gabam described the nature of relationship between Adeniran and the former country’s helmsmen as that of mutual dignity and respect .

“Politics is strictly about interests and you have relationships. All of us have people that we owe gratitude, whether they in APC today or PDP. The relationship between Adeniran and IBB or Atiku predates PDP and no one can change that,” he said.

Gabam who said that he has been a member of the PDP from creation and has been part of almost every process and struggle to raise the PDP to great heights, warned that no one can intimidate the campaign team of Adeniran.

He also cautioned against any attempt to re-order the micro-zoning previously endorsed by PDP leaders in the south which ceded the position of national chairman to the South West, adding that it would lead to disastrous consequences.

According to Gaban, the party leaders in the south had met shortly before the May 17, 2016 PDP national convention to endorse the zoning of the chairmanship position to the South West.

“He further said that even if the leaders now want to tinker with the arrangement, the matter will have to be tabled before a properly constituted meeting of southern leaders.

“The campaign DG however said that his candidate is not perturbed by such intrigues but that he is propelled by a determination to see that leadership of the PDP is entrusted in the hands of a capable person.”

To this end, he said the campaign will soon embark on zonal consultation of party stakeholders to seek their support ahead of the December national convention.

“We want to avoid the emergence of persons with corruption or questionable character to ascend the mantle of PDP leadership again.  We cannot afford another crisis in PDP any such crisis will spell doom for the party and I am sure nobody who loves this party will wish that the party is buried,” he said.

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