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Jonathan moves to revive
PDP in S-West
November 30, 2010
By Leke Adeseri, S-West
Regional Editor, Ola Ajayi,
Kolade Larewaju and Dayo
Johnson
The dwindling fortunes of the
Peoples ’ Democratic Party in
the South West is no doubt
giving President Goodluck
Jonathan sleepless nights.
Some even say he is
personally leading the
campaign to restore the
party ’s glory. A source said:
“The president has resolved to
settle the crises within the
party in South West states and
he believes that his electoral
fortunes would be further
enhanced when he brings all
the pockets of dissatisfaction
within the party to an end.”
The source further maintained
that President Jonathan ’s main
strategy of retaining the
confidence of all PDP delegates
in him is to ensure that all
factions are reconciled
immediately. It was gathered
that such a move will not only
ensure victory for the
president at the primaries but
also enhance the party ’s
electoral fortunes at the
general elections.
President Jonathan, it was
gathered, had kick-started his
peace moves within the PDP
during his visit to Lagos last
weekend.
“During
that visit,
the
president
brought
together
all major
factions in
the PDP in
the South
West.
Loyalists of
the party
in Lagos,
Ekiti, Oyo
and Ondo
were able
to meet with the president and
there was a return to
conviviality.
Parties that have not sat
together for years came
together to see the president
and he told them that there is
the need to ensure peace
within the PDP fold, ” the source
added
From Ogun State VANGUARD
can confirm the attendance of
Governor Olugbenga Daniel
and his factional Chairman;
Elder Joju Fadairo. It was
however decided that the
President would meet the
party leaders from each state
separately as the issues
creating problems were
different.
The meeting, according to a
source, was mostly dominated
by discussion about the states
that have been lost, how to
pacify the members of the
party there and how to ensure
that the party bounced back
particularly with the other
elections into the National
Assembly and Houses of
Assemblies, so that the party
will not to lose out completely.
In the case of Ogun state, the
meeting was said to have
discussed strategies to resolve
the crisis between the
Governor Daniel group and the
others led by Minister of
Industries; Senator Jubril
Martins_Kuye.
In the Daniel’s group were
mostly Commissioners, Special
Advisers, Special Assistants,
Chairmen and members of
Boards and Commissions and
Local Government Chairmen
with only one Senator, Kola
Bajomo and four members of
the House of Representatives.
Also in the group were 11
members of the House of
Assembly led by factional
Speaker; Mr. Emmanuel
Soyemi Coker.
In the Martins_Kuye group
were two Senators –Iyabo
Obasanjo Bello and Lekan
Mustapha, Speaker of the
House of Representatives; Mr.
Dimeji Bankole, four other
members of House of
Representatives, 15 members
of the House of Assembly led
by Speaker Tunji Egbetokun,
Chairman of the Party ’s Elders
Forum; Chief Sule Onabiyi,
former Secretary to the State
Government; Chief Sarafa Tunji
Ishola and a host of other
prominent members.
The Jubril Martins_Kuye group
were however said to have
the support of former
President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The source however declined
to say what the “strategies’
are.
From Oyo State:
Jonathan allegedly intervened
in Oyo PDP crisis
.Gov Akala says the status quo
remains
Aggrieved members of the
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in Oyo State have
vowed to work towards the
actualisation of President
Goodluck Jonathan ’s
presidential ambition in 2011
and reject Governor Adebayo
Alao_Akala ’s second term bid.
The PDP leaders led by former
Governor Rashidi Ladoja at a
meeting with President
Jonathan at an undisclosed
venue in Lagos, told the
president clearly that the Ike
Nwachkwu committe’s report
had to be implemented and
that Alao_Akala should not be
fielded as the party ’s standard_
bearer in the governorship
election next year.
According to them, the party,
in its wisdom, may deem it fit
to compensate him for another
post after the poll.
Panacea to end the crisis
Sources at the meeting told
journalists in Ibadan on Sunday
that those who spoke were
unanimous in their call for the
full implementation of Ike
Nwachukwu-led PDP National
Peace and Reconciliation
Committee as the panacea to
end the crisis in the party and
non_fielding of Akala as the
party ’s standard_bearer for the
2011 gubernatorial contest.
The source added that the
president asked them to give
him the opportunity to listen to
the Akala ’s group too and
other stakeholders in Oyo
project and this informed the
invitation extended to both
the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi
Adeyemi, and Aare Musulumi
of Yorubaland, Alhaji
Abdulazeez Arisekola_Alao, on
the matter.
The 13 anti_Akala PDP men at
the meeting were former
Governor Ladoja; Chief Lekan
Balogun; former Deputy
National Chairman (South) of
the party, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo;
former Minister of Special
Duties, Elder Wole Oyelese;
Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin,
Chairman, House of
Representatives Committee on
Appropriation, Ademola Ayo
Adeseun; factional chairman of
the party, Alhaji Yunus
Akintunde, and former
Secretary to the State
Government, Mr Sharafadeen
Abiodun Alli.
Other notable PDP chieftains at
the meeting which commenced
at 10.00 p.m. and ended
around 2.00 a.m. were Chief
Elisha Olanrewaju; Alhaji Alli
Oyedeji; Mr Bayo Lawal;
another House of
Representatives member,
Honourable Lanre Agoro, and
Ambassador Yomi Akintola,
son of the late Premier of
defunct Western Region, Chief
Ladoke Akintola.
Sources at the meeting told
journalists that President
Jonathan, who set the tone for
the meeting, sued for peace
for the party to emerge
victorious in the 2011 and
subsequent elections.
The presidency has reportedly
advised Gov Alao- Akala to
drop his governorship ambition
and collect a senatorial ticket.
The advice which was said to
have been given to the
governor in a meeting held at
Dodan Barracks, Lagos last
Thursday threw him off
balance as he hurriedly went
to the Ota farm of the former
President, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo for next line of
action.
According to an impeccable
source, the presidency which
was said to have intervened
and asked all parties in the
political crisis to sheathe their
swords had a rethink when it
sought the opinions of powers
that be in the state.
Vanguard learnt that on Friday,
President Jonathan Goodluck
met the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba
Lamidi Adeyemi, the Aare
Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji
Azeez Arisekola_Alao and
others in Lagos who reportedly
did not mince words.
They were said to have told
the presidency that there was
no way the incumbent
governor could win the state
on the party ’s ticket. An aide of
the monarch who preferred
anonymity confirmed to
Vanguard that the monarch
met with the president but said
he could not say what
transpired there.
Wishful thinking
But, responding to the matter,
Governor Alao-Akala through
his Special Adviser on Public
Communication, Prince Dotun
Oyelade dismissed it as wishful
thinking.
He said, “it is wishful thinking
that the opposition
represented by the former
Governor of the state, Senator
Rashidi Ladoja had any
advantage of status within the
PDP ”.
“What transpired was that
Governor Akala did not want to
engage in any dialogue with
known anti party group and his
stern posture was recognized
by the President. The status
quo as far as the party in Oyo
State remains”, he stated.
It was also learnt that the
Board of Trustees [BoT]
Chairman of the party, Chief
Obasanjo, may have been fed
up with the seeming
unmanageable crisis in the
state.
Ladoja, Senator Balogun and
eleven others were said to
have told the president point
blank that it would be unwise
for them to endanger their
political fortune with Akala as
governor in the 2011 polls.
From Ondo State
A Leader of the PDP who is
privy to the weekend parley
who spoke in confidence said
the major issue discussed was
the chances of President
Jonathan as against the
happenings in the South West
in recent times.
The Source said that the
former governor of Ondo State
Dr Olusegun Agagu, his Deputy
Otunba Omolade Oluwateru
and Prof. Olusegun
Adegbulugbe represented the
PDP from Ondo State at the
meeting and that the crisis in
Ondo state was not discussed
because according to him ” it is
not as serious that those in
other South West states and
because the former President
had intervened earlier.
Agagu’s senatorial ambition
Dr Olusegun Agagu is not at
war with Olusola Oke in fact
they are in the same group.
But for Hosea Ehimlanwo he is
a lone ranger who is seeking a
second term in the Senate.
Information had it that he has
collected nomination form
from the party and ready to
face Dr Agagu and others in
the PDP primaries.
Others PDP members that are
warring with Dr Agagu over his
senatorial ambition include his
former aide Princes Oladunni
Odu, his in_law Segun Ayerin
who was a former Chairman of
Okitipupa Council area of the
state and the elder brother of
Chief Jimoh Ibrahim, the
business mogul, Akinsola Jimoh
also a business man.
It could not be confirmed if the
crisis in the Ondo PDP was
discussed at the weekend
meeting but Vanguard learnt
that the Former President
Olusegun Obasanjo had
recently intervened by holding
a peace meeting with the
former Finance Commissioner
Chief Tayo Alasoadura faction
after the group dragged Dr
Agagu before the former
President over the crisis in the
party in the state and the
domineering posture of the
former governor.
Dr Agagu is set to publicly
declare his intention for the
senatorial seat in the Southern
district area of the state soon
which may further widen the
gulf within the party as many
believe that it is not morally
right for him the vie after
assuring that he was no more
interested in political position
after the Court of Appeal
judgment which ousted his
barely two years ago.

I hate it when people make threads like this

Na Aba browser he dey use

Good move by gej. I thought about it