How Jonathan’s loss worsened S/West PDP crisis

The Peoples Democratic Party in the South West is regrouping to launch itself back to reckoning in the politics of the region; however the absence of a rallying figure might hamper its resurgence. OLUSESAN LAOYE reports

Three months after the 2015 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West is still torn apart and the leaders are now exploring ways to unite the members of the party. For the past 10 years, the PDP in the South West has been in crisis and the party went into the general elections divided. The states where the divisions are prominent are Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Lagos States.

Before the last general elections, leaders of the party tried to resolve the crisis at various zonal meetings held in Ibadan, Lagos and Akure but could not resolve the internal crisis in the states. What has made the situation worst is the fact that the man who used to be the rallying point, former President Goodluck Jonathan is no more in power. When Jonathan was in power, he was the one that always mediate in the South West PDP crisis.

Another person who used to move round to find lasting solution is Senator Buruji Kashamu, but since his extradition issue started, he has been very careful in his actions politically. He has not been vocal as he was before the elections especially before and during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.

Sources said that he has decided to lie low on political matters affecting the zone for now as he was said to have told some of his friends that his senatorial duties are the most important to him right now.

In Oyo State where the crisis in the party is still very pronounced, leaders of the party have not been able to resolve the dispute which came up during and after the elections. Those loyal to the governorship candidate of the party in the state, Senator Teslim Folarin are still bitter that some prominent leaders of the party did not support them in the last election, and that was why they believed that such people should remain suspended from the party.

It would be recalled that immediately after the last general elections, some prominent members of the party were accused of working against the candidate of the party. As a result, former minister of state, for the Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and Chief Saka Balogun, former chief of staff during the administration of former governor Alao Akala with their supporters were suspended from the party over what they described as anti-party activities.

Leading their suspension campaign from the party is one of the founders of the PDP in Oyo State, Sariki Yekeen Adeojo. At a meeting held recently in Ibadan and which was chaired by Alhaji Adeojo, both Akinjide and Balogun were suspended without being tried and this has been the issue being contested by the erring leaders. They faulted their suspension, claiming that those who carried out their suspension had no right to do so and that no panel of the party found them guilty of the offence they were alleged to have been committed.

The issue has further divided the party. It will be recalled that the party was deep in crisis in Oyo State, before the last elections over the governorship primary which produced Senator Folarin. This actually led to Akala and Engineer Seyi Makinde leaving the PDP to run on the platform of Labour Party and Social Democratic Party (SDP), respectively. The crisis which has been in the state since the time  late Alhaji Adedibu was alive led to the former governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja leaving the PDP to  join the Accord Party where he contested the governorship election twice in 2011 and 2015.

In Osun state, the crisis which was caused during the governorship primary which led to the two former governors of the state, leaving the party is still not yet over. Even some of the party members are doing things differently, but sources informed Hallmark that the governorship candidate of the party, who has now taken over the full control of the party’s leadership, has been moving round to close ranks and bring the aggrieved members together. It was also said that his efforts have continued to yield good results as it was said that they have at different occasion lambasted the present government of Rauf Aregbesola for not paying workers salaries.

In Ogun State, it was said that the last election, which nearly tore the party apart, especially the Ogun East senatorial election which was won by Senator Buruji Kashamu, caused problem between the former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Senator Kashamu. It was Daniel who was tipped for the position, but unfortunately while he was abroad, the Kashamu group held the primaries and edged Daniel out. This caused crisis in the party before the election, but because of the desire of the party to ensure that it won the election, they both agreed to work together.

Hallmark was informed that leadership crisis is now brewing in the party in the state. While it was said that Kashamu has taken the senate seat, the thinking was that the leadership of the party should fall on Daniel. While some people believed that the chairman of the party, Chief Bayo Dayo, who is an elderly person should assume the leadership of the party. This is however causing ripples in the party right now. The argument  against those who did not support Chief Dayo is that since he is a loyalist of Kashamu, it means that the group is still in total control of the party and because the Daniel group which could have gained upper hand  if the governorship candidate of the party,  Alhaji Gbenga Nasir Isiaka had won the election. It is only reasonable that the leadership of the party should rest on Daniel who was a former governor of the state to reposition the party ahead of other elections to be held in the state.

In Ondo State, the crisis which reared its head before the presidential election, when the governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko joined the PDP from the Labour Party which brought him into power. But Governor Mimiko has in a way been able to silence those who did not decamp to other political parties before and after the election and his group is now in control of the party in Ondo State. It was said that the governor is now trying to ensure that there is sanity in the party and to prevent further uprising in the party. But sources informed Hallmark that the way things are handled would determine whether the party will slide into a bigger mess in future.

Lagos State is another state like Oyo, where the crisis in the PDP is still deep and all the warring factions are still not prepared to sheath their swords. The Musliu Obanikoro group and the Chief Bode George camp are still at loggerheads. The Obanikoro group still believed that their action against George and others still stands though the national body of the party had ruled against it. The situation on ground now indicates that the two groups are still not working together.

This was reflective in the prosecution of the governorship petition filed at the State Election Petition Tribunal against the APC governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. The party went into the Tribunal as a divided house and it was speculated that this affected their case because it was argued that if they were together, the issue of the petition not being properly filed and which resulted in its dismissal at the Tribunal would not have arisen.

To find a lasting solution to the crisis which has engulfed the PDP in the South West, the two governors Hallmark learnt have decided to call a special zonal meeting where all the issues affecting each state will be tabled and sorted out amicably. It was said that the Ekiti State governor, Otunba Ayodele Fayose said that the last general elections have thought the party in the South West a great lesson. He said they will do everything possible to reposition the party before the next elections.

He also declared that the performance of the present APC government in the zone has now given the PDP the opportunity to start working on how they will take back the zone. Also speaking on the move and the need to reposition the party, one of the leaders of the party in the South West, Chief Lekan Balogun told Hallmark that the party leaders are already working hard to unite the warring groups in the South West. He said that truly there is serious crisis in the zone, adding that they are working hard to resolve them, while pointing out that the reconciliation would not be limited to those within the party now but to be extended to others who had left the party, especially those who left recently before the last general elections.

The national secretary of the party, Prof Wale Ladipo said in a telephone interview that the party has not allowed the last elections to become a setback to it. He said that at the national level of the party they are already working out how all the issues affecting the party will be sorted out, saying that was the reason for Emeka Ihedioha‘s committee and other sub-committees set up to examine the issues on ground for the party to bounce back fully in all the states of the federation, including the states in the South West region.

Director of publicity and strategy of the party in Osun State, Prince Diran Odeyemi said that whatever the crisis which the last general election could have caused would be resolved. He said that with the situation of things and what he described as bad performance of the APC governments in the South West, the PDP will be well repositioned now to take back the zone. He argued that the people of the South West have known now that APC is a fraudulent political party and are full of regrets now.