Reconciliation by Obasanjo fails in Ogun PDP

Those who were aware of a reconcilliatory meeting called by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his palatial Hill Top,  Abeokuta home, thought it would put an end to the protracted crisis within the  party. Obasanjo had been accused of keeping mum over the crisis.
IT, however, became clear that for the party to survive in the state the crisis had to be resolved somehow especially when the bad fortune of the party in the last few months within the South West is considered.
The party not only lost in Ondo but went on to lose its governorship seats in Ekiti and Osun states. It was considered disastrous. It is only natural for the party to solve its internal problems if it would not lose the 2011 elections to the “rampaging” Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which has continued to wax stronger.
But the reconciliatory meeting, Vanguard sources said, was inconclusive prompting the setting up of an eight member committee to look into the area of differences and harmonize positions. The meeting which started at about 11.30 am was said to have lasted over two hours.
The Committee has Senator Ayo Otegbola as Chairman also has as members; Speaker of the House of Assembly; Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, factional Speaker; Mr. Soyemi Coker, former Secretary to the State Government; Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Ishola, member of the House of Representatives; Mr. Dave Salako, Mr. John Obafemi and Prince Wole Otenaike.
However, the first signs that the move may have failed emerged, weekend, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives; Mr. Dimeji Bankole, former Military Governor of Oyo State; Gen. Adetunji Idowu Olurin, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo Bello and Senator Lekan Mustapha shunned the much publicized debate organized by the PDP for all aspirants contesting under the party.
Also conspicuously absent at the filled to capacity main hall of the June 12 Cultural Centre were a few other aspirants including Speaker of the Ogun House of Assembly; Mr. Tunji Egbetokun, a member of the House or Representatives contesting for Governorship; Mr. Abiodun Akinlade, another gubernatorial aspirant and current member of the House of Assembly; Mr. Leye Odunjo leaving only aspirants believed to be loyalists of Governor Olugbenga Daniel to participate in the debate.
Governor Daniel in his speech to declare the debate open also declared that Yoruba land was not available for “vagabonds” adding that all aspirants should be ready to defend the PDP government which he said had performed better in all areas governance that the previous administration.
The absence of the prominent aspirants at the debate which was aimed at deepening representative democracy and increase stakeholders buy-in into the electioneering process further reinforced the notion that efforts towards resolving the crisis rocking the party in the state were not yielding the desired result.
How it all started: The crisis within the party started a few years ago with members accusing Governor Olugbenga Daniel of sidelining elders and founding members of the party. It was not clear to people until Tuesday, May15, 2008 when the then Speaker of the House; Mrs. Titi Oseni was impeached..
Members of the House were accused of being sponsored by some Abuja politicians. The Governor was said to have rejected the removal. Since then it became a game of cat and mouse between the Legislators and Governor Daniel. Several accusations were thrown the way of the Governor including alleged starving of the house of funds for running the House. But even then, there had been other issues which had divided the party clearly into two.
On one hand is the Governor Daniel group which has in its fold Senator Felix Kola Bajomo, four members of the House of Representatives out of the nine from the State, 11 members of the State house of Assembly led by Mr. Soyemi Coker, members of the State executive Council, Local Government Chairmen and Special assistants.
Parallel state executive
On the other hand is the group led by Minister of Industries; Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye which has within its fold, Senators Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and Lekan Mustapha, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Mr. Dimeji Bankole and five of his members, Chairman of the Party Elders Forum; Alhaji Sule Onabiyi, former Secretary to the State Government; Alhaji Sarafadeen Tunji Ishola.
The imbroglio led to the formation of a parallel State Executive Council of the Party, with Chief Dayo Soremi as Chairman, challenging the Joju Fadairo led Executive. Two secretariats of the party thus exist in the State. Several meetings were held in Abuja to solve the problems which continued to escalate, but it appeared that no solution was in sight until the State visit of President Goodluck Jonathan last month. The visit was expected to solve the crisis.
Expectedly, former President Obasanjo invited President Goodluck Jonathan to a breakfast meeting during his two-day visit to the state last month and members of the factionalized party who had thought that the visit of President would solve the problems all left for their different homes as the issues were left unattended to.
President Jonathan had been expected to on his two day visit to the state to intervene in the matter at the meeting. Obasanjo had in letters to his invited guest asked them to join him for breakfast with President Jonathan at his residence at 7.30 am.
On his list were Senator Kuye, factional Chairman of PDP; Chief Dayo Soremi, Speaker Tunji Egbetokun, Senator Lekan Mustapha and a few others on the side against Daniel while Daniel had on his side Chairman of the party; Elder Joju Fadairo.
Also in attendance were the PDP Chairman in the South West; Chief Tajudeen Oladipupo, the Alake of Egbaland; Oba Aremu Gbadebo and the Olubara of Ibara; Oba Jacob Omolade (fellow school mate of Obasanjo at Baptist Boys High School, Saje Abeokuta).
The sitting arrangement at the breakfast, sources said, was such that while Speaker Dimeji Bankole (also at loggerheads with Daniel) was on the same table with Obasanjo, Jonathan and Daniel; Chief Fadairo, Egbetokun and Soremi were on another table.
The arrangement put Fadairo on the same table with two of his most virulent antagonists. Senator Mustapha, Obasanjo’s daughter; Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and Martins Kuye were said to be on the same table while factional Speaker; Emmanuel Soyemi Coker was not invited to the breakfast.
Those  in attendance who expected that the issues would be thrashed out were, however, disappointed when former President Obasanjo only welcomed Jonathan to his home and asked that they proceed to consume the food and drinks provided while Jonathan at the end of the breakfast thanked Obasanjo for all he has been doing especially for the PDP and the nation.
Possible solution
After his departure, impeccable sources told Vanguard that it was virtually impossible to resolve the area of differences as each group was said to have stuck to its position prompting the setting up of the committee comprising members of the two factions. Senator Otegbola, though on Governor Daniel’s side, was said to have been chosen as Chairman of the Committee because of his age and closeness to former President Obasanjo.
A member of the House of Assembly who was at the meeting, however, told Vanguard that the “meeting was deadlocked because nothing really came out of it. Look, I can confirm that the meeting held. It was deadlocked. Nothing really came out of it. Yes, it was successful because at least the meeting held. But, there is really nothing concrete from it. Nothing has changed”.
Sources confirmed that all was not well with the party by Sunday evening with factional Chairman; Chief Dayo Soremi issuing a statement used on a private Radio Station in the state declaring that the party’s political debate scheduled to hold in Abeokuta the following day would no longer hold as far as the members of his faction are concerned.
In the statement, he said that the debate was being organized by Governor Daniel for his aspirants and not for all aspirants of the party. He declared that the debate was not a general party debate.
But before Chief Soremi’s disassociation of his group from the debate, the Secretary of the organizing committee, who is also a Special Assistant to Governor Daniel; Mr. Segun Sowunmi said that the debate was aimed at deepening representative democracy and increase stakeholders buy-in into the electioneering process.
Moreover, he said that the debate would also afford the party opportunity to showcase all her aspirants before the primaries.
Mr. Sowunmi said that while the debate would have Chief Okanlawon Soboyede as Chairman, Professors Kayode Oyesiku, Aare Wale Olaitan, Segun Awonusi, Yinka Oyeneye and Dr. Akin Onigbinde, Dr. Nurudeen Aliu and Dr. (Mrs) Femi Odunaike are members of the panel.
Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/