South West PDP Torn Between VP, National Chairmanship Slots

Past stressing the compelling have to be placated after the alleged injustice meted to the zone on the 2017 nationwide conference of the Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP), stakeholders from the South West zone are cautioning in opposition to a repeat of such state of affairs, failure of which they insist the celebration’s fortunes will additional nosedive.
Amid this warning, the stakeholders maintain divergent views relating to what to accept between the nationwide chairmanship place, and a vice-presidential ticket, because the countdown to the October 2021 Nationwide Conference for the election of recent members of the Nationwide Working Committee (NWC) continues.

Forward of the conference, indications are rife that the celebration would possibly zone its presidential ticket to the North whereas conceding the nationwide chairmanship slot to the South.

However sources inside the celebration additionally hinted The Guardian that the celebration may also micro-zone the place of the nationwide chairman to the South West for strategic causes, whereas the vice presidential slot could also be taken to South East to appease Ndigbo, as they’re but to provide the president for the reason that return to democratic rule in 1999.

The newly appointed 44-member zoning committee headed by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State is already plotting the components for sharing positions that can appease one and all.

Certainly, intrigues inside the South-West geopolitical zone additional counsel that the celebration could finally concede the place of nationwide chairman to South West as a approach of placating the area for the perceived injustice within the December 2017 nationwide conference, when Governor Nyesom Wike, allegedly pushed South South’s curiosity and received Uche Secondus within the saddle, after the South West failed to provide a consensus candidate.

Within the wake of Secondus’ emergence at that nationwide conference, many sturdy stakeholders from the South West stop the celebration angrily, with the event additionally seen as one of many main components that value PDP victory within the 2019 normal election.

Southwest’s Contenders
With former governors of Osun and Ekiti states, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and Ayo Fayose, in addition to the gubernatorial candidate of the celebration within the final Ondo governorship ballot, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) within the race already, the zone is the one one which has since proven curiosity in producing the nationwide chairman.

Oyinlola, a really shut ally of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, is alleged to even have the tacit help of the previous President of the Senate, David Mark, and erstwhile governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, amongst others.

Nonetheless, some curiosity teams within the North are averse to Oyinlola’s ambition as they concern that if his dream is realised, Obasanjo would remotely management the celebration by means of the previous Osun State governor and one-time army administrator of Lagos State.

Some PDP teams within the zone are additionally sceptical about Oyinlola main the celebration successfully as he had as soon as defected to APC, and likewise labored assiduously in opposition to the celebration through the 2015 normal election, in addition to the governorship election in Osun State.

A member of the celebration confided in The Guardian that Lamido’s latest go to to Obasanjo needed to do with Oyinlola’s ambition.

Jegede is alleged to have been drafted into the chairmanship race by Wike, and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Wike, in keeping with some members, is attracting Jegede to the race, whereas additionally positioning himself as working mate to any northern presidential candidate. Atiku, on his half, additionally allege plans to make use of Jegede to attain his intention of getting the celebration’s presidential ticket.

However Jegede’s ambition doesn’t resonate with these which are aggrieved with the way in which that Wike has been making an attempt to garbage Secondus due to his private ambition, in addition to the insults that he allegedly hauled at South West through the 2017 conference.

On his half, Secondus is alleged to be having fun with the help of some governors of the celebration from the North, particularly those that felt that Wike can’t proceed to dictate to the celebration.
Nonetheless within the North, some highly effective forces are additionally getting ready Fayose for the race. One of many causes adduced by them is that the previous Ekiti State governor is impartial and can’t be manipulated by forces which are bent on reaching private aims as in opposition to the final curiosity of the celebration.

Though key PDP teams within the North deliberated about getting the previous Ekiti State governor on board, final Tuesday, some teams even visited him in Lagos and enumerated a number of causes for him to hitch the race.

Fayose neither confirmed nor denied the event when contacted, however insisted that the place has not been zoned to any area.

He mentioned: “The place has not but been zoned to the South West. Even when it has, it’s for the advantage of our folks within the zone. So, we’ve got to do due diligence. It’s not about contesting, however making successful of the workplace.

“I perceive there are different folks which are within the place. They’re additionally eligible and competent. However wherever the South West goes is the place I’ll go. I’ll observe the South West. Wherever the Yoruba go when the chairmanship place of our celebration is zoned to the South West is the place I’ll go. It won’t be a do-or-die affair. That’s all I can say for now.”

Talking on the event, the fast previous vice nationwide chairman South West Zone of the celebration, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, expressed fears that what performed out in 2017 was regularly enjoying out once more, as he “fears an imposition the place people won’t have a say in what’s going on. However I’m very assured and hopeful that we’ll realise our failures in 2017 and start to do the needful to appropriate that.”

He mentioned South West is often divided into three zones, that are Ekiti/Ondo Zone, Oyo/Osun Zone and Lagos/Ogun Zone. As it’s, Oyo/Osun has already picked one of many three positions of the Nationwide Working Committee (NWC) that’s the nationwide vice chairman, which I contested for, however misplaced to the previous Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Taofik Arapaja. So, Osun and Oyo states are out of the image. If the chairmanship is coming to the South West, it will be contested by Lagos/Ogun.”
By implication, Olafeso is saying that Oyinlola is just not eligible to contest for the nationwide chairmanship since Arapaja is from Oyo in the identical zone because the retired normal.

In response to him: “If we should go by the ideas of fairness and justice, Ondo/Ekiti and Lagos/Ogun ought to current candidates for the place whether it is finally zoned to the South West.”

On the current strain being mounted on Fayose, Oyinlola and Jegede by curiosity teams, Olafeso mentioned: “They’re eminently certified to contest, however I’m wondering who’re these folks mounting strain on them? They’re certified whether or not there may be strain or not.”

To a former Chairman of PDP in Ogun State, Adebayo Dayo, there may be the chance that the zoning committee will concede the nationwide chairman place to the South West to placate the area for the maltreatment of 2017.

He, nevertheless, expressed reservation that some parts inside the zone are clamouring for the vice-presidential ticket as a approach of balancing within the subsequent normal election.

In response to him, “The argument is that if the APC zones its presidential ticket to the South and South-West in 2023, the vice will go to the North. The proponents of the vp coming to South West will create a type of balancing within the election. That is the place we could have points and wish to sit down down for correct deliberations.”

A former member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Ebenezer Babatope, mentioned: “When the South-West PDP led by Chief Olabode George meets very quickly, we will subject our place to your entire world.”

However one other founding member of the celebration in South West, who most popular anonymity warned that the South West won’t tolerate the excesses of Governor Wike, not even the way in which the Rivers State governor insulted folks which are sufficiently old to be his father the final time.

For the Lagos State PDP Chairman Adedeji Doherty, who’s a member of one of many nationwide zoning committees: “The zone ought to depart the chairmanship place to the South East, or South-South. We must always struggle on the nationwide conference, and on the committee, stage to get the quantity two place within the nation. That’s my very own candid place. It’s the proper time that the PDP ought to present a South West vp. The president in APC is from the North and the vp is from the South West. If we’re going to zone the president to the North for the primary time within the historical past of the PDP, we should always have a South West vp. Every thing is tilting in direction of that finish, and for me, I’m a scenario whereby the zone will get the slot of vp.”

Nonetheless, the Nationwide Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan mentioned he couldn’t converse on zoning for now till the committee in cost submits its report back to the Nationwide Govt Council (NEC).