2015 GUBER: PRESIDENCY ASKS KWARA PDP TO REDUCE ASPIRANTS The controversy over likely implosion in the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following increase in the number of governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s primaries seems to have been settled with the presidency asking the state leadership of the party to reduce the number of those seeking the covetous ticket of the party. This, this medium learnt, was to enable the party ascertain the serious minded aspirants and those who are hiding under the guise of governorship ticket but with what a source called “no electoral value” in PDP’s determination to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. At a nocturnal meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja weekend, presided over by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, at the behest of President Goodluck Jonathan with some National and state leadership as well as aspirants of the party in attendance, it was agreed that the state PDP should commence the process of striking out the names of some governorship aspirants who were believed not weighing the needed political clout to engage the ruling APC government in the state. President Jonathan, The Herald reliably gathered, would have presided over the meeting but for his holy pilgrimage to the state of Israel. About 14 aspirants had indicated interest and conveyed their intentions to the state PDP to seek the party’s governorship ticket preparatory to the 2015 general elections, though few of them bought expression of interest and nomination forms respectively to show that they meant business. Some of the aspirants whom, prior to this time, were either holding political or public offices had tendered their letters of resignation to their employers to enable them pursue their political ambitions. The Herald recalled that three of the PDP governorship aspirants including former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem; Oil mogul, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim and Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi few days ago obtained their nomination forms at the National Secretariat of the party, Abuja. Erstwhile Unilorin boss fondly called Oba Abu and Senator Ajadi resigned from the current offices they were occupying to strategise moves to realize their ambition. For instance, Oba was the immediate-past Chairman, Federal Character Commission while Ajadi also left the Federal Executive Council as Presidential Adviser on National Assembly matters. Their resignation from office was not unconnected with the directive by the National leadership of the party to the aspirants running on the party’s platform to vacate the offices they were holding latest October 20th or risk contesting on the PDP’s ticket. Other PDP governorship aspirants in the state were Senator Gbemisola Saraki, younger sister of the state APC leader, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki; Mr Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Ibrahim Iso Bio; Engr Sunday Babalola, a Senator representing Kwara South in the National Assembly, Simeon Ajibola and former state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Ben Duntoye among others. The presidency’s meeting, it was gathered, was meant to avert possible bickering and disaffection in the party after certain drastic moves were taken to prune down the number of interested governorship aspirants. A top member of the state executive of the party, who spoke in confidence with The Herald on telephone, confirmed the Abuja’s nocturnal meeting, but said members of the state leadership of the party were not involved. The source stated that the essence of the roundtable was to unite the aspirants and make the party strong to confront the ruling APC, adding that the meeting was an ongoing exercise. The PDP source said, “Yes, the presidency summoned a meeting at the weekend, which involved the aspirants and National leadership of the party. The motive of the meeting was to reduce the number of governorship aspirants and unite them ahead of our primaries. “We (state executives) were not involved in the meeting. With what was being done, you would agree with me that the state executive of the party recently inaugurated PDP Aspirants Forum (PAF), and our intention was to make it a rallying point for our aspirants. “I don’t want to believe there was any tangible resolution that was agreed upon. But the meeting ended well. The meeting is an ongoing exercise because from time to time, before the primaries, there would be consultation to arrive at an acceptable point for all the aspirants”. When contacted on telephone yesterday, the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, said the meeting was summoned to give the governorship aspirants the opportunity to rub minds and chart a way forward for the party in the state. He stated that though it was proposed at meeting if any of the aspirants would step down and none was ready to get off the stage. Oyedepo doubted possible consensus in the party, but reaffirmed that the party would conduct free, fair and credible primaries for all the aspirants. He also allayed fear of crisis in the party, saying that a total of 15 aspirants had indicated interest to vie for the governorship ticket of the party ahead of the primary election.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 09:43:37 +0000
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