ABEOKUTA—A strong indication has emerged that, a
mass exodus of members and stalwarts of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State is
currently looming.
This is coming as a former chairman of the House of
Representatives’ Committee on Aviation, Hon. Dave
Salako has warned the national leadership of the PDP
to either sanction the Chairman of its Mobilization
and Organization Committee for the South West,
Prince Buruji Kashamu or risk losing the 2015
elections in Ogun State.
Salako accused Kashamu of being allegedly
responsible for the perennial crises rocking the PDP
in Ogun State.
Vanguard reliably gathered that, this development,
has prompted leaders of three of the major groups
within the PDP in the state along their followers to
begin defection into the newly introduced Social
Democratic Party, SDP, in the state.
It was gathered that the recent loss of the three
groups in the last congresses and recent primaries of
the PDP in Ogun State prompted their action.
A former speaker of the House of Representatives,
Dimeji Bankole and eight other aspirants had
boycotted the party’s governorship primary election
which produced Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka.
On Monday, leaders of the Dimeji Bankole, Gbenga
Daniel and Jubril Martins-Kuye groups reportedly met
in Abeokuta, the state capital where they put
finishing touches to their planned mass defection to
the SDP.
It was also reliably gathered that, on Monday night,
former governor, Gbenga Daniel held a secret
meeting with the leader of the SDP in the state, Chief
Olusegun Osoba in his Abeokuta residence.
A source told our correspondent that, apart from
Daniel, other PDP leaders present at the meeting
include a governorship aspirant of the party, Chief
Anthony Ojesina; a former chairman of the PDP in the
state, Chief Joju Fadairo, Chief Niyi Adegbenro,
among others.
Vanguard further gathered that the general mood
and consensus of the leaders at the meeting
favoured the mass defection of the aggrieved
members of the PDP into the SDP.
When contacted, a leader of the Jubril Martins-Kuye
group, Hon. Dave Salako declined to comment on the
issue.
But, he, however, stated that Kashamu had so far
instituted over 40 cases in court against the leaders
of the party at both the state and the national level,
including the one he filed against the PDP National
Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.
He wondered why the PDP National Working
Committee had been treating Kashamu whom he
alleged had become fond of deliberately flouting all
the directives of the party’s national leadership as a
sacred cow.
In his reaction, Kashamu said that Salako’s outbursts
should be ignored.
He added that Salako was still smarting from his
inability to realize his governorship ambition and
profit from the party which he and members of his
group abandoned since 2011.
Kasahamu in a statement by his Media Assistant,
Austin Oniyokor said: “No careful observer of Ogun
politics would be surprised at Dave Salako’s outburst.
He is rueing the devastating crash of his deputy
governorship ambition and looking for whom to
blame for his failed ambition.
If there is anyone that should be sanctioned for
working against the interest of the party, it should be
Salako who, alongside his masters, abandoned the
party since he lost his re-election bid in 2011 and
now want to reap where he did not sow.”