S’West PDP: On the road to recovery

Despite the Supreme Court ruling on its protracted leadership crisis, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still battling with pockets of incongruities. WALE ELEGBEDE reports on the efforts of the South-West zone of the party to sanitise its ranks ahead of the 2019 general elections

The past one year has been eventful for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Aside been a party in opposition after 16 years in the saddle of the country’s leadership, the party in the last 365 days or thereabout, became a shadow of itself. Luckily for it, the July 12 ruling by the apex court salvaged what is left of it.

What started like a minor battle of interest in the South-West, dovetailed to other zonal and state chapters before permanently situating itself at the national level of the party. From one court to another, the two gladiators in the crisis – Senators Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi, ensured that the media had enough of the melodrama on a daily basis.

For analysts, the party’s internal crisis gave a field day to the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). They also averred that the woeful performance of the PDP in Edo and Ondo states gubernatorial elections has direct link with the bickering within the party.

“When they (PDP) decided to close ranks in the Osun West senatorial election, the result came their way irrespective of the lousy posture of the APC. If they had done such in Ondo and Edo, perhaps, the result may have been different,” Dr. Akeem Adaramodu, a public affairs analyst told New Telegraph.

Expectedly, while the party faithful and state chapters queued behind the two factions; others chose to dump the party for the APC. In all, no fewer than five PDP senators and members, House of Representatives and scores of states Assembly members defected to the ruling party.

With the laying to rest of the leadership squabble via the ruling that the national convention that produced the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee, on May 21, 2016 was in order, the Supreme Court judgement unwittingly set up a fresh intrigue of power struggle especially at the state and zonal levels of the party. In this regard, a number of court injunctions and rulings are already pending and those who want to use those legal instruments averred that they are not related to the settled apex court rulings.

Perhaps, the most contentious of the zones of the party is the South-West. The interest struggle in the zone has polarised the party such that not even the apex court’s ruling could mediate in the dispute.
Interestingly, at the heart of the division in the zone are two ranking members of the party, who incidentally were once formidable political allies – Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and Senator Buruji Kashamu (Ogun West).
Not ready to have any dalliance with Fayose, the Ogun senator, perhaps let out his frustration over perceived moves to link him with a defection from the PDP, when he said recently that “Fayose and (Iyiola) Omisore cannot push me out of the PDP. They do not have what it takes. I am not going anywhere. I remain a strong mobiliser for the PDP and one of its leaders in the South-West.”
However, in a bid to put its house in order, the South-West leadership of the party, under the leadership of Olorogun Eddy Olafeso, conveyed a one-day stakeholders meeting on Monday at Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
At the meeting were Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George; former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Chairman of the party in the South-West, Chief Oladosu Oladipo; former Leader of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Mulikat Akande; former Chairman of the party in Ogun State, Chief Joju Fadairo; Senator Iyiola Omisore, former Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele; former Minister of Special Duties, Elder Wole Oyelese, Chief Olufemi Lanlehin, Senator Hosea Agboola, Dr. Saka Balogun, Chief Sarafadeen Alli, Alhaja Salmot Badru, Chief Sunday Ogunlade, Chief Eddy Olafeso, Chief Soboyede and others.
Starting the meeting behind its schedule time, the short opening prayer by Alhaji Muraina Ajibola and the opening address by Olafeso, the zonal chairman of the party, opened the lid for what will be an exciting, stormy session.
Displaying what he said will be the new attitude of the PDP in the zone going forward, Olafeso ensured what he preached by ensuring that those he tagged ‘Sheriff’s people’ and spies, were chased out of the meeting and the door closed in their faces. The zonal chairman, who opined that the zone will engage a twin approach of discipline and reconciliation, urged the six chairmen in the states that made up the zone to instill discipline as well as met out punishment when rules are contravened.

He said: “The APC people have done a lot to destabilise the country. The PDP is back in the South-West. We need to revisit the role of the South-West. The legacy and performance have been eroded. They have desecrated the land. We need to think of how reconciliation can be achieved. South-West is known for its vibrancy, but what has happened to it? The critical thing is that this zone should be allowed to take back its destiny. We came from the background of love and harmony, but we were made to be enemies of ourselves. It is high time we reconcile and instill discipline in this party.”

Addressing the gathering, Fayose who spoke in both English and Yoruba said: “They (national leaders) must give us an antibiotic to get rid of this monster. We have had it twice. The first one happened in Ogun State and the monster is gradually moving to other states. We had it in Edo State. Our experience in Ondo State will be the last one. We have to confront him squarely. We have told our National Leader that it is either you take us or you take him. We cannot continue to cringe before some people. This party cannot be pocketed by anybody. Enough is enough. I have never seen my friend stood up in the Senate and make one constructive grammar.

“I cannot continue to be in a room with a woman sleeping with another man. Buruji is a black leg and he has done a lot of damage on this party. God has delivered us. If we don’t deliver ourselves, then it is left for us. How can somebody be saying after the Supreme Court judgement, we should give him the structure of the party in the South-West? This meeting will take a far-reaching decision. I want to identify with the Ogun State stakeholders. You had been living with monsters, but God has delivered you.

We will continue to stand by you.”
Reading the communiqué of the meeting after an extensive deliberation, Olafeso said: “The entire South-West leadership and stakeholders condemn the destabilising and anti-party activities of Senator Buruji Kashamu and demand disciplinary actions against him for his roles in the loss of the party in Ogun, Ondo and Edo states.

“The zonal leadership and stakeholders, hereby, dissociate the zone from the activities of Senator Buruji Kashamu and resolve further to, henceforth, desist from dealing with him in any capacity in the zone, and the leadership of the party in Ogun State is, hereby, directed to stop all dealings and meetings involving Senator Buruji Kashamu and his agents until further notice.
“The zonal leadership and stakeholders also, hereby, reject any association whatsoever with Senator Buruji Kashamu, henceforth.

It is, hereby, resolved that a special committee be set up at the zonal and national levels to reach out and appeal to all those who had left the party as a result of the disruptive and destructive activities and act of sabotage visited upon the party.”

Whilst it is clear that the leadership of the PDP in the zone is trying to reposition the party and speak with one voice, it is left to be seen how far it can go, especially with calculations that the zone might produce the next national chairman of the party.