Politicians loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party have resisted pressure to defect to the All Progressives Congress in spite of Obasanjo’s withdrawal from all activities of the PDP. Our correspondent learnt that some of Obasanjo’s close associates had been holding meetings with the two factions of the APC in the state. The sacked national auditor of the PDP, Bode Mustapha; a former factional chairman of the party in the state, Senator Dipo Odujinrin, and Femi Majekodunmi were said to be among those on the negotiation team with the APC. But our correspondent gathered that the loyalists, at a meeting held in the premises of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta on Friday night, resolved that they would remain in the crisis-ridden PDP in the state rather than join the APC, which is also embroiled in a battle of supremacy between the supporters of Governor Ibikunle Amosun and one of the party’s chieftain, Olusegun Osoba. A source at the meeting said a motion to defect to the APC in the state was moved by the Ogun East Senatorial Chairman of the Obasanjo faction, Tayo Ajayi, and seconded by Shina Adejobi from Ogun West. A former member of the state House of Assembly, who represented Ifo I State Constituency, Johnson Fatoki, however, quickly moved a counter motion. Fourteen local government chairmen of the Obasanjo faction out of 20 from across the state and two serving members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Job Akintan and Abiodun Akovoyon, respectively, also opposed the motion to join APC. The motion to move to APC was defeated after it was put to vote by those present at the meeting. After the move to join the Ogun APC failed, the two groups of the Obasanjo faction of the PDP were said to have resolved to continue to hold discussions on their various sides. The interim chairman of the Obasanjo faction of the PDP caucus, Sunday Alawode, told our correspondent that the group was not in favour of the move to defect to the APC in Ogun. Alawode added that the caucus was against any decision to negotiate with the APC, stressing that they preferred to await the outcome of the negotiation embarked upon by the new National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Mu’azu. “Yes, a meeting was held and someone moved a motion that we should join the APC and the motion was countered. Fourteen local government chairmen and all political functionaries were not in support of such move and since Obasanjo has made it clear that he would stay in the PDP, we stand by him on that decision. “We congratulate the new national chairman of our party and we believe in his ability to reconcile the party in the South West and Ogun State in particular. We also support President Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambition and we are ready to work for his success,” he said.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 08:51:27 +0000
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