PDP national chair: S’West fails to unite, ends meeting inconclusively

South West Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders have failed to unite in deciding which state should produce the next national chairman of the party, which has been allotted to the zone.

This is as the meeting of the leaders of the zone held in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Monday  was inconclusive, as the leaders of the party who were in attendance disagreed on zoning of the position to a particular state of the geopolitical zone.

They were to decide on the three positions zoned to the state, which are the national chairman, the deputy publicity secretary and the treasurer.

The national vice-Chairman of the party (South-West), Dr. Eddy Olafeso, said that it was agreed at the Akure meeting that the position of the national chairman should be zoned to Lagos and Ogun states where three aspirants – Chief Bode George, Jimi Agbaje and a former governor of Ogun State Gbenga Daniel came from.

He added that the position of the treasurer was zoned to Ekiti and Ondo states while Osun and Oyo states were given deputy publicity secretary position.

Some of the leaders of the party at the meeting included governors Olusegun Mimiko and Ayodele Fayose of Ondo and Ekiti states respectively, Chief Bode George, Senator Teslim Folarin, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, and a former speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello.

There was disagreement however on their first position about the zoning arrangement based on the argument that it was not a democratic arrangement.

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Professor Tunde Adeniran, one of the national chairmanship aspirants of the party described the Akure meeting as nothing but a jamboree, which he said would not bring any fruitful results.

He said through his media man, Mr. Taiwo Akeju, that “zoning will not work in the issue of the national chairmanship of the PDP. The leaders should allow all those that obtained the forms to contest at the convention, they should allow democracy to work, we want the best candidate to emerge.”

It was reported that Buruji Kashamu, the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District and some other chieftains from Ogun state left before the commencement of the meeting,.

Meanwhile, the national vice-chairman of the party, addressing journalists after the meeting, said a six-man committee had been set up to settle all the disagreements over the issue of the chairmanship.

PDP national convention is holding on August 17 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital and the South West is expected to produce the next chairman of the party during the convention. Failure to unite, may lead the region losing the chairmanship position to High Chief Raymond Dokpesi from the South- South, who is also vying for the position despite it being zoned to South West.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

 

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