The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) in the South - West worsened yesterday as some leaders of the party, including Senator Buruji Kashamu , stormed out of the meeting convened by the Ondo State governor , Dr . Olusegun Mimiko , and his Ekiti counterpart, Mr . Ayodele Fayose, to zone the positions given to the zone .
It was a drama of sort as the Senator representing Ogun East told his supporters to leave the venue before the commencement of the meeting. This development came as the meeting convened to zone the positions given to the zone was deadlocked , as the delegates did not agree with the zoning arrangement put forward by the leadership. The national convention of the PDP holds on August 17 in Port Harcourt , the Rivers State capital .
The grouse of Kashamu and some leaders including former Secretary to Ekiti State Government (SSG), Ambassador Dare Bejide , was the decision of the conveners of the meeting to prevent the Makanjuola Ogundipe - led factional zonal executive from gaining access to the venue of the meeting.
Others who were prevented from entering the Banquet Hall of the Governor ’ s Lodge , the venue of the meeting, were Chief C. K Awoyelu ; former Ekiti State Deputy Governor , Chief Abiodun Aluko ; a member of House of Representatives, Hon . Segun Adekoya ; factional state chairman of Osun PDP , Chief Rotimi Adagunodo and other members of Ogundipe - led factional executive .
Consequently, they left the venue of the meeting , which was attended by Mimiko , Fayose, Senator Iyiola Omisore , Mr . Eddy Olafeso and members of the zonal executive and converged at an hotel in Akure, the Ondo State capital , for their own factional meeting .
Others at the meeting with Mimiko and Fayose were former governorship candidate of PDP in Oyo State, Senator Teslim Folarin ; former Deputy National Chairman and national chairmanship aspirant , Chief Bode George; another aspirant , Prof . Taoheed Adedoja; Erelu Olusola Obada, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo and Dr . Kolapo Olusola , the Deputy Governor of Ondo and Ekiti states respectively.
Addressing reporters at the hotel, the factional zonal chairman , Ogundipe , said the National Caretaker Committee (NWC ), led by Senator Ahmed Markafi, should not hearken to whatever decision reached at the meeting convened by Mimiko and Fayose to further zone the positions allocated to South - West among the states in the zone .
Ogundipe described the action of the conveners of the meeting as executive rascality as he and members of his executive were the legally recognised executive of the party at the zone .
According to him , the zonal leadership, led by Mimiko should be brought to book as they have violated the constitution of the party by excluding critical stakeholders of the party from the meeting .
His words : “ It is in our opinion that these people must be brought to book , otherwise this kind of executive rascality cannot be allowed to stand in our party if we are talking of winning election in 2019.”
In a situation I have been deprived of taking charge , I am hereby calling on our National Caretaker Chairman to ignore whatever decision they might have taken because that will not hold. What they have done today is a clear violation of our party’s constitution .
“I am not going to allow this to continue in our party. This party is a disciplined party. This party cannot be run by sheer impunity .” But the zonal chairman of the party, Olafeso, said the positions zoned to the South - West have been further zoned to the states with Ogun and Lagos states getting the National Chairman, Ondo and Ekiti got Treasurer while Osun and Oyo got Publicity Secretary.
Olafeso said a six- man committee has been set up by the zonal executive to plead with aggrieved members to reconsider their stands and come together in the interest of the party. But one of the aspirants, Adedoja, said he would still contest the election despite the zoning arrangement of the party at the zone .
His words : “The position of the National Chairman is a very important position, irrespective of where it is zoned in the South - West . I am still contesting the position of the chairman and I know by the special grace of God, I will win.
“People are afraid to test themselves nationally , that is why they are thinking of zoning . I will test myself nationally for the position of Chairman. The whole Oyo State delegates disagreed with the zoning .
I do not agree with it and I am going ahead to contest .” Also, former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, has kicked against the stance of the leaders on the zoning .
The media aide to the former minister , Mr . Taiwo Akeju, told reporters that his principal obtained his form yesterday in Abuja and intentionally avoided the meeting to consult with some party leaders in the North for the realisation of his aspiration.
Akeju , who is the former secretary of the party in the zone , protested that all the aspirants should be allowed to test their popularity rather than the consensus arrangement reached by the meeting convoked by Mimiko and Fayose.
His words : “ What we are saying is that they should allow all the aspirants that have obtained the forms to go and test their popularity , that is democracy. We don’ t want impunity again in the party like before .”
He declared that his faction would not accede to the arrangement , lamenting the impunity in the party which he pointed out has been the crux of their calamities. “ We are still battling with the Ali Modu Sheriff thing now , we know the consequences and we know the people that brought us to this level. But what we are saying is that we need to turn a new leaf . Let anybody that purchased form be allowed to contest .
“This meeting that they are saying they want to zone , there is no point zoning anything , it won’t work . It is not possible . You have to open up for the best material to emerge . That is our position.
We want the best material to emerge at the convention , ” he said. Meanwhile , one of the national chairmanship aspirants , Mr . Jimi Agbaje , took his campaign to Owerri , the Imo State capital yesterday .
He addressed delegates to the national convention . Agbaje , who said he stands in solidarity with Imo PDP , urged the delegates to support him in his bid for the national chairmanship of the party. While noting that Imo is strategic in his ambition for chairmanship , Agbaje declared that PDP is one indivisible political platform that cannot be stopped in spite of the mistakes of 2015. “ 2015 was a mistake and will be corrected in 2019, ” he said.
Meanwhile , former President of the Senate, David Mark, has cautioned the leadership and members of the party against acts of impunity that could result in imposition of candidates . Mark, who gave the advice at a meeting with executive members of the Benue State chapter of the PDP , said that it was incumbent on our leaders and members to allow the popular will of the people prevail at the congresses and convention .
He described the defeat of the PDP in the last general elections as a selfinflicted injury, recalling that the party lost out because some of its leaders indulged in imposition of candidates and other acts of impunity in the build up to the elections .
The former Senate President urged members of the PDP to remain steadfast with the party, as it will surmount its current challenges . He reminded party faithful to work hard in the days ahead as a credible opposition in order to overcome these challenges .
“If we must uphold the sanctity of democratic culture, we must follow the path of honour like the Democrats and Republicans in the United States of America or the Labour Party or the Conservatives in the United Kingdom who hold on tenaciously to their political ideologies no matter the odds,” he said.
Mark vowed that no matter the challenges , he would not leave the PDP because the party provided him with the platform that afforded him the opportunity to contest and win elections since 1999.
