BEVERLY HILLS, April 25, (THEWILL) – The South West Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Congress held in Osogbo penultimate Monday has produced a new executive led by the former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and former Nigeria Ambassador to Jordan, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja as the National Vice Chairman of the party. Other members of the executive elected at the Congress include, Mr. Rahman Owokoniran as Secretary and wife of the late Ibadan grassroot politician, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, Mrs. Bosede Adedibu as the South PDP Women Leader.
The party went to the congress, a divided house. One faction was led by the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde who is the only governor produced by the party in the South West and another was led by the former Governor of Ekiti States, Mr Ayodele Fayose. There has been bitter rivalry between Fayose and Makinde as to who is the leader of the party in the region. Ordinarily, there should have been no controversy over who is the leader as the convention of the party gives leadership to the most senior elected person who incidentally is Makinde being the only governor from the party in the zone. But Fayose who had benefitted from the same convention when he was the only governor in the region said Makinde can only be leader in Oyo State and cannot spread his leadership to Ekiti. He further claimed that he was governor before Makinde and so he cannot accept Makinde as his leader. Thus the atmosphere at the Congress in Osogbo was like a war zone as political thugs stormed the venue in hundreds. Though at the Congress even before the election, Fayose accepted Makinde as the leader in the zone and announced this openly before the election at the Congress, political observers believe the struggle for leadership between Makinde and Fayose is not yet over.
The manner of the emergence of the elected executive also laid more dangers to the unity within the party. Though the results of the congress election was very close between the two factions, all the executive members were produced by the Makinde’s faction. The contest between Arapaja and Eddy Olafeso from Fayose’s group for the position of National Vice Chairman, was so close with Arapaja beaten his arch rival with only 10 votes. Explaining the reason for the very close result of the congress, a delegate to the congress who doesn’t want his name mentioned told THEWILL that while Makinde group are in clear majority, two personalities in the Fayose camp, Senator Ademola Adeleke and Hon. Ladi Adebutu put a lot of resources to the congress’ election resorting in many delegates getting huge financial benefit for supporting the group’s Candidates.”My brother, the Fayose Camp just threw Fayose to the front, Adebutu and Adeleke played major role in the group. They threw lots of money into the contest resulting in narrow victory for the Makinde group”, he informed THEWILL.
It was gathered that Adeleke who was the party’s governorship candidate in the 2018 governorship election in Osun State is also eyeing the same position in the state governorship election next year, while Adebutu is also interested in being the party’s governorship candidate in 2023 in Ogun State. Now that the new executive has been produced and it has been openly accepted by Fayose and his group, what next for the party in the region. Will there be peace, will the party be able to forge the desired unity to win the two governorship elections coming up in the region in Ekiti and Osun next year? These are the questions agitating the minds of political watchers and political analysts in the South West region.
As of today, almost all the state chapters of the party is in one crisis or the other. Ogun, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun state chapters are having hiccups. In Ogun State, there are two camps, late Buruji Kashamu group and Hon. Ladi Adebutu camp.
However at the weekend, the two factions met during a reunion meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital. The leaders of the two factions resolved to work together towards strengthening the party ahead of the 2023 elections. Leading the Kashamu faction, Segun Seriki declared that the party will henceforth operate under the Sikirullahi Ogundele-led executive, thereby collapsing the other faction which has Samson Bamgbose as the chairman.
Seriki expressed regret that the crisis robbed the PDP the chances of returning to power since 2011 when the party was defeated at the expiration of Gbenga Daniel’s tenure.
He called on party members to be committed to the reunion and work towards rebuilding the party for victory in the 2023 election. Bamgbose applauded the party’s leaders for reconciling the warring factions.
How long the peace brokered at the reunion meeting would last only God knows.
In Lagos, the executive members and the Party’s state chairman, Engr.Deji Doherty are at loggerhead. At the height of the crisis in the state, the other executive members ganged up against Doherty and suspended him not only from his position as chairman but from the main opposition party, the PDP. His suspension was announced last year by the State Secretary, Mr. Muiz Dosunmu after an executive meeting.
In Ondo, some members who recently showed loyalty to former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose before the congress were suspended by the state executive.
Those suspended for an ‘unholy visit’ to Fayose are former PDP chairman in Ondo, Chief Ebenezer Alabi, Lad Lajomo, Oyedele Ibini,former Lawmaker, Rasheed Elegbeleye and former State Publicity Secretary, Ayo Fadaka. Fadaka later contested for the region Publicity Secretary but lost in the last congress. Thus as of today, there is no 100 per cent peace in Ondo PDP.
In Osun State, two men are laying claim to the chairmanship of the party. The chairman of the party, Soji Adagunodo was removed following a vote of no confidence passed on him by the other executive members and their decision was ratified by the National Working Committee, (NWC) which suspended Adagunodo. The new chairman, Sunday Bisi is backed by NWC but Adagunodo is in court and he got a judgement from the State High Court in Ikirun which reinstated him back to his position as chairman. The latest in the case is that another court has returned Bisi back to the chairmanship position. So in Osun, Adagunodo and Bisi are laying claim to Chairmanship of the PDP.
In Ekiti State, there are also two factional chairmen for the party. While Ayodele Fayose’s faction has Bisi Kolawole as Chairman, Senator Biodun Olujinmi’s faction produced Kehinde Odebunmi as the State Chairman.
So the situation on ground is that there is a huge task of reconciling different factions and groups in almost all the state chapters.
Speaking with THEWILL, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George said the peaceful conduct of election and the general acceptance of the results at the regional congress of the party has shown a new beginning.
He added that, “a new hope has arisen and the horizon is bright and appealing. He said the congress was a family affair and that there was no Winner, no Vanquished.
“The Southwest Congress held in Osogbo has injected and infused a new mandate of hope and renewal not only in the Peoples Democratic Party but also across Yorubaland.
“It has affirmed our commitment to peaceful engagement even when we disagree among ourselves. It has showed that disputes and differences need not fester into violence and communal disruptions.
“Yes, democracy is about the pitting of ideas, the grappling with conflicting views and interests. But in the end, there is always an arrival at a consensus building, the initiation of compromise, the settlement of rifts through the pacific largeness of the ballot box.
“Well the battle has been won and lost. But there is no vanquished and there is no restrictive winner. The victory belongs to all of us”, he said.
On the task before the newly elected executive, George said” This is now the moment to mend the broken places, to reconcile and rebuild without any recourse to personal triumphalism”.
He said a new journey has started for the PDP in the South West and advised all the leaders of the party in the region to join “in steering the ship of state to a safe and strong harbour; steadfast and sure, protected from the tumult of the rough waters”.
Also speaking with THEWILL, a governorship aspirant in the last governorship election in Osun State, Prince Ayoade Adewopo said that it was good that Fayose displayed the spirit of sportsmanship at the congress by finally accepting Governor Makinde as the leader of the party in the Southwest.
He said right from the success of the congress, the best thing is for the party to come together as a family, but expressed reservations about the perceived unity in the party saying in politics it has never been easy like that because of political ambitions and interests, adding , “that is why there would always be different camps and opinions in politics.”
Adewopo who was a national delegate at the congress said it would help the people meant to be served if politicians unite to deliver and give proper account of themselves to guarantee and deliver genuine dividends of democracy to the people.
He said that as far as he was concerned, he would never at any point in time allow his personal interests to override the interest of the people and urge the new executive to also do that and ensure proper reconciliation in the party ahead of coming elections next year in Osun and Ekiti State
He said he is hopeful that everything would be sorted out at the end of the day because according to him, anywhere there is an election people would contest for it and the contestants can’t be in the same camp.
Speaking with THEWILL also , former Minister of Transport and member Board of Trustee of the party, Chief Ebenezer Babatope said the task before the new executive is huge but expressed the hope that they will achieve success.
“Now after the congress, the party will forge the unity. The leaders of the party in the region should realize that the people are placing their hope on the PDP. APC has failed the people and the people are placing their hope in PDP. From the two elections next year in South West PDP should show determination to win and I am sure we are going to win.
“ So to the new regional executive of our great party , they should forge unity, shun personal interest and we will come out more united that before in a short time.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
