- Adeleke Guber Ambition Splits Party Leadership
By Kehinde Ayantunji
More facts emerged during the week on why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Ekiti state’s counterpart Ayodele Fayose dumped the state former deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore over the state PDP crisis.
OSUNDEFENDER gathered that the three party echelons turned their back on Omisore when it was discovered that the former deputy governor was not ready to make any compromise in the struggle for the control and stability of the party.
Also, the case instituted before an Osun High Court sitting in Ejigbo against the National Working Committee of the party to halt the just-concluded congress infuriated the party leadership to abandon the former senator.
A member of PDP NEC, who spoke with our reporter in confidence said, “Omisore’s camp is out and down, as far as the controlling PDP in Osun is concerned, he appeared to have overstretched his luck and abused his influence in the party”.
“I can confirm to you that our national chairman and other members of NWC held him in high esteem and are always ready to protect his interest because he stood by Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP when the crisis was rough and tough. In fact, Governor Wike and Ayo Fayose always hang on our neck not to let him down in the battle for the soul of the party in the state.
“But the reality is that as a responsible party, we cannot allow the crisis to linger on, we must find a lasting solution to the crisis and in the process we directed the conclusion of the state congress but he insisted that the party must accept his own State Executive Committee (SEC) to be chaired by Dr Bayo Faforijin”.
“At the heat of the crisis, Governor Fayose intervened and pleaded with the PDP NEC to mediate and share the positions with 60 to 40 per cent ratio, but Omisore boycotted the meeting held at the PDP National Secretariat and later instituted a case against the party to the extent of securing a court injunction against the party from proceeding with local and state congresses”.
“What Omisore demonstrated was that he has no confidence in Secondus, Wike and Fayose in protecting his interest in the battle for the party and they were left with no choice than to embrace those who are obedient to the party leadership, and that is why all his appeals were ignored completely because the party has exhausted all available options to pacify him as a major stakeholder.”
Faforijin and others who are loyal to Omisore in March instituted a case to restraint the party from conducting the party congresses but was struck out on March 23 by Justice Adeyinka Aderibigbe of Osun High Court sitting in Ejigbo.
The party NEC after the case was struck out directed accelerated conclusion of the congresses from the ward to the state level. All the congresses were held between Friday and Sunday and Hon. Soji Adagunodo was returned unopposed as the state chairman of the party.
When contacted, Dr Faforijin explained to OSUNDEFENDER that the matter is before the court and the state executives cannot stand in the face of the law, saying the party leadership compromised and violated subsisting court order.
On the recently widespread rumour that Omisore and his camp are moving to another political party, Faforijin said the outcome of the case in the court and the decision of the court will determine whatever decision they are taking.
Meanwhile, the senatorial candidacy of Senator Ademola Adeleke that united the party last year is now a major dividing factor after the last state congress.
Few days after the congress, some of the party leaders are planning another war against Adagunodo-led executive over perceived concession of the party gubernatorial ticket to Senator Ademola Adeleke.
It was learnt that the leading gubernatorial aspirants in the party have initiated a forum to halt the party’s plans in ensuring that Senator Adeleke pick the party gubernatorial ticket, a situation which might eventually portray the party as not serious to take over the governance of the state.
Adagunodo was reported to have been confronted during the week by some aspirants including the former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Adejare Bello and former member of the National Population Commission, Akogun Lere Oyewumi to warn him against narrowing down the race to Adeleke.
A source at the top party hierarchy meeting on Monday said the aspirants tension rose when the rumoured car gifted to Adagunodo by the Adelekes, spread across the state, as a member of the party trustee was quoted to have warned Adagunodo that “PDP ticket must not be see and bye”.
The development however might have forced Adagunodo to publicly declare on Tuesday at the party stakeholders’ meeting that the party is open to all members that are interested in gubernatorial race and assured them of fair and credible process.
APC Accuses PDP Of Serial Lies
With barely six months to the Osun governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been alleged by the All Progressives Congress (APC) of serial lying in its desperate move to return to power in the state.
The ruling party was reacting to the observation of the National Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (Zone B), Mr. Cosmas Oni, who in company of his other colleagues visited Osogbo recently, as an indication that, “seven years of PDP lying is fading away.”
The APC in a statement signed by its Publicity Director, Kunle Oyatomi and released to the media in Osogbo said that the PDP misrepresentation of facts about happenings in Osun, “has run its full circle of evil, and TRUTH now haunts that party”.
The APC was referencing the contrasting statements of the new PDP Chairman, Dr. Soji Adagunodo with that of the National Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Mr. Oni, both of which were published about the same time.
“Whereas the PDP Chairman, Dr Adagunodo, was lying to the world that APC and the Aregbesola-led government did nothing to improve education in the state;
“The NUJ Vice Chairman, Mr Oni rather expressed pleasant surprise that he was witnessing one of the best accomplishments yet in educational development he and his visiting colleagues to Osogbo had ever seen in the south west!!
And this was in spite of the hopeless impression they had had before coming to Osun that absolutely nothing was happening in the state.
“The PDP lies had poisoned the minds of some unsuspecting Nigerians that were misled by fallacies published in otherwise credible media under the influence of the lying party.
“PDP was and continues to lead the ‘axis of evil’ in Osun. Driven by desperation, envy, jealousy, hatred and mischief, that party’s focus remains purely to access power and will go to the lowest level to disparage, scadalise and demonise the person of the governor to achieve its goal”, the APC added that, “where others have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel, the PDP in Osun has become blind, deaf and heartless”.
“And the pity of it”, said the APC, “is that Dr Adagunodo, who is supposedly educated, personally, propagated PDP’s stupid lies just when the NUJ was declaring Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the ‘best performing governor of the South West in 2017″.
“Perfidy couldn’t be worse than what Dr Adagunodo exhibited in this instance.
“No matter what the axis of evil does in Osun, there is a limit to which their lies can work”, said the APC, arguing further that, ‘the power of truth is already out in force in Osun. It will crush all evil forces and become triumphant in September 2018, by the grace of God”.
…Party’s Primaries Fixed For July 14
In preparation for the September 22 Osun governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has fixed its primaries to pick its flagbearer for Saturday, July 14, 2018.
Dropping the hint on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the party presided over by Osun state PDP chairman, Hon. Soji Adagunodo, he also said that the Intention Form” for those nursing ambition to fly the party’s flag would be made available before the end of April.
Addressing the meeting held at Biket Junction, Ikirun road party secretariat, and had in attendance stakeholders across the 30 local government areas and Modakeke Area Office, Adagunodo commended the steadfastness displayed by members during the leadership crisis that rocked the party.
He explained that PDP National Working Committee has directed him to inform members that anyone interested in vying for PDP ticket should forward Letter of Intention through the office of the State Chairman to the office of the National Chairman on or before 17th April, 2018.
Adagunodo added: “The Intention Form shall be made available to the aspirants before the end of this month as our gubernatorial primary holds on Saturday July 14, 2018.”
On the efforts to reconcile aggrieved members, Adagunodo said: “Elders and the State Working Committee of the party under my leadership are working tirelessly to set up a powerful reconciliation committee to extend hands of love to members loyal to Dr. Bayo Faforiji. We are very optimistic about this”.
