Setbacks in Ogun PDP

The crisis rocking the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is taking its toll on its membership. The party has lost many of its members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent times. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the implication of the unresolved crisis on the fortunes of the chapter in future elections.

 

THE rank and file of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Ogun State chapter, has continued to diminish, following its dismal outing in the 2019 general elections. The unresolved intra party crisis led to the exit of some party leaders, few weeks to the election. For instance, former Governor Gbenga Daniel directed his supporters to vote for the APC governorship candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who eventually won the election. The PDP governorship candidate Prince Buruji Kashamu came a distant third in the election.

The dismal performance of the PDP has led to mass defection of members to the ruling APC. The most recent being the open declaration for the APC by the former Deputy Governor to Daniel, Alhaja Salamatu Badru; the PDP governorship candidate in 2015 and the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in the last governorship election, Prince Gboyega Isiaka; two-term member of House of Representatives, Apostle Dave Salako; former Chairman and former Secretary of the Ogun State chapter, Chief Joju Fadairo and Chief Pegba Otemolu respectively. Others are Mrs. Iyabo Apampa, former Commissioner for Forestry; Alhaji Ali Ajibode, former Commissioner for Works; Mr. Waliu Taiwo, former Commissioner for Rural Development; Chief Fatai Sowemimo; Chief Dipo Sofowora and many other leaders.

Analysts described the defection of the party big wigs as a big blow to the opposition party that is yet to find its feet since it was swept out of office in 2015. They blame the party’s misfortune on its failure to device a conflict resolution mechanism. Observers also blame the national secretariat for backing the group that was not recognized by the court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The crisis rocking Ogun PDP dates back to the time the party was preparing for the 2011 general elections. It started as a proxy war between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Governor Gbenga Daniel over the control of the party structures ahead of the polls. The gladiators were divided over the choice of the governorship candidate and as a result the party became polarized. The Daniel camp was forced to leave the party to contest the election on a different platform. The division proved to be their undoing as the two groups lost out in the election.

The crisis assumed a new dimension when the former National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur appointed Kashamu as the Chairman of Southwest Contact and Mobilisation Committee. Since then, the party has not been the same in the Southwest and Ogun State in particular. Obasanjo, under whose leadership the PDP rose to prominence in the Southwest, lost control of the party, even in Ogun, his home state.

Supporters of Obasanjo consider the appointment of Kashamu as an imposition intended to spite the former President and reduce his political influence. The party structure, they said, was deliberately handed over t Kashamu to undermine Obasanjo, who vowed not to recognize a party leader that had been declared wanted in the United States for drug offences.

In an attempt to regain power in 2015, remnants of the party after the exit of Obasanjo and the Daniel camp re-united. They include the supporters of Kashamu and those of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole. The party lost the election. Shortly after the general elections, the cracks that were hurriedly patched for the purpose of regaining power widened, with gladiators moving in different directions.

Another issue that fuelled the crisis was the return of Daniel from the Labour Party (LP) to the PDP and his ambition to contest the Ogun East senatorial election in 2019, the seat which was eventually occupied by Kashamu. Besides, Daniel was the pillar of support for Mr. Ladi Adebutu, the son of renowned businessman Chief Adebutu Kessington. Adebutu wanted to contest the 2019 governorship election on the platform of the PDP. Again, Kashamu won the governorship ticket. But, Kashamu was opf the view that the game plan of the Daniel group was to take away the party structure from him. He told his opponents: “You can’t reap from where you did not sow. I used my personal money to run the PDP in Ogun State. Nobody can take it from me.”

It was learnt that the crisis rocking the chapter was one of the reasons that made Daniel to resign from the party. In a letter to the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, dated March 14, 2019 the former governor said he was resigning from active and partisan politics. He said: “My decision in this regard is entirely personal to me and having served in various capacities, including as governor of Ogun State, I have resolved to immerse myself n some other vocations and take on some new challenges.”

Daniel, a staunch supporter of the Ladi Adebutu faction had asked the two factions, including the Kashamu group, to come to a round table discussion to resolve the crisis. He was said to have advocated the sharing of political offices between the two factions.

Sources said Daniel wanted the crisis to be resolved but Kashamu would not let go; he wanted the national leadership to come in and settle the crisis. Unfortunately, the national secretariat did not respond. Daniel admitted in his letter that the PDP ran into trouble waters towards the end of his administration as governor, which led to the party’s loss in the 2011 elections. He regretted that 10 years after, the party is yet to resolve those internal disputes and challenges.

He said: “The PDP in Ogun State was confronted with a very difficult situation in matter of choice. Whereas the national leadership of our party recognized one candidate for the 2019 elections, while another candidate was recognized by the court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in compliance with those court orders.

“The candidates recognised by INEC were not acceptable to the national leadership of the party. Our situation was then compounded because the candidates which the court and INEC recognised had also been expelled. This was the dilemma we found ourselves as we approached the March 9, 2019 governorship and House of Assembly elections.”

Daniel explained why he did not support the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Buruji Kashamu, but worked for the candidate of the APC, Dapo Abiodun in the last election. He said: “It was a response to the yearnings of my people and I joined others in emplacing an administration that we believe will better serve the interests of our people than what currently exists. The rest they say is now history.”

The former governor said he did not have any regrets over his action, which he described as a patriotic choice, adding that leaders and stakeholders in and outside the state have commended the action. He added: “Many stakeholders within and outside Ogun State feel fulfilled, excited and grateful about our decision to join others in putting a stop to a regime that was believed to be against the collective and general welfare of our people.”

The Uche Secondus leadership of the PDP had insisted on recognizing the Sikirulai Ogundele-led State executive which produced Adebutu as its governorship candidate, while describing the Bayo Dayo faction that produced Kashamu as its standard-bearer as impostors. Although INEC accepted the list of candidates submitted by the Dayo faction, because of subsisting court judgments that validated the list from the party’s national secretariat, was rejected.

Adebutu’s faction had approached the Supreme Court asking for a stay of execution of the Appeal Court’s verdict, which validated Buruji’s faction, but failed in that bid. Yet, while the Kashamu group rolled out the drums to celebrate the judicial victory, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) issued a disclaimer, insisting that Adebutu was the party’s governorship candidate.

Although Senator Kashamu’s threat prevented the party from presenting its flag to the candidates at the Ibadan rally as planned, the party went ahead to do the presentation at its national secretariat in Abuja. At the event, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus took a swipe at Kashamu for imposing himself on the party, just as he described him as an agent of the ruling APC.

Kashamu reacted to the recognition of Adebutu by the national secretariat, saying that Secondus should be held responsible for breach of public peace and safety, should there be a breakdown of law and order in Ogun State in the build up to 2019 general election. He urged the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the State Security Service (DSS) to take cognizance of Secondus’ conduct, whch, according to him, is capable of causing tension and breach of public peace.

Buruji went to the polls without support from the PDP national secretariat. The PDP presidential rally did not hold in Ogun because Kashamu went into the poll without support from the national secretariat, as it did not see Kashamu its governorship candidate. Instead, the party dismissed Kashamu as a desperate hireling of anti- democratic forces bent on causing confusion, “triggering violence and bloodletting in the 2019 general elections to derail our hard earned democracy”.

Gbenga Daniel

The PDP also described Kashamu as an interloper and impostor, who would soon face prosecution for printing and selling fake PDP nomination forms to members of the public in violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution, which vests such powers only on the party’s NWC.

But Kashamu denied being an agent of anybody, insisting that he would fight for his right with the last drop of his blood. He said: “I urge the judiciary, the legislature and the executive arms of government to take cognisance of the happenings in Ogun State PDP issue. It is not about my supporters or me. It is about our democracy and respect for the rule of law which are being endangered by the activities of Secondus and his ilk.”

There still exist two parallel executives in Ogun PDP. The Bayo Dayo-led executive that was installed by Kashamu and the other headed by Sikirulai Ogundele that is loyal to Adebutu. The NWC recognised the Ogundele’s faction and communicate with the faction on regular basis. Kashamu who is the sole financier of Bayo Dayo-led executive said there is a subsisting court judgment that has resolved the issue of who is the state chairman of PDP in Ogun State and restrained the party from removing Bayo Dayo from office until he serves out his four year tenure as guaranteed by PDP’s constitution.

Analysts believe the fate of Ogun PDP will be decided when the state chapter holds its congress to elect new executive. The fear is that Kashamu may lose out, giving the position of the Secondus led executive.