ONDO PDP:Whither Mimiko or Tinubu?

[MrVan]

By DAYO JOHNSON

DESPITE the reported peace shooting efforts of Senator Bode Olajumoke and the outgoing National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP the Ondo State chapter of the party is now reported to be enmeshed in a crisis allegedly being fueled by external forces.

Central to the present crisis is the alleged effort of the opposite Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and the ruling Labour Party, LP to distabilise the once ruling party with the aim of projecting their separate interests in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

At the heart of the ensuing crisis are the Dr Tayo Dairo-led state executive of the PDP which was allegedly projected by associates of the immediate past Governor Dr Olusegun Agagu and the faction led by former Ambassador to Australia, Prof Olu Agbi, and former Special Adviser on Political Matters, Chief Segun Adegoke.

Central to the emerging crisis is the allegation that Agagu's faction is alleged to be working with the ACN in the state to ensure that the Labour Party-led government is sacked in the next election. This, according to sources, is because he has concluded that the PDP might not fly in the coming election going by the infighting and intrigues that had been dogging the party in the last few years.

This speculation is so rife that some members of the party, who are now jumping ship to the ACN confidentially say that they had the nod of the former governor to decamp to the ACN ahead of the forthcoming "mother of all battles" to wrestle power from the Iroko as Governor Segun Mimiko is known.

Another group led by Dr Agbi, who himself is interested in becoming the state chairman of the PDP but is not supported by Dr Agagu, allege that the former governor's determination to throw up an executive loyal to him was to ensure that he propels them to work with the ACN towards sacking Mimiko from office.

Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko Some PDP leaders, who spoke in confidence said that that Agagu was determined to repay Mimiko for aborting his second term ambition. He is said to have vowed to use all within his power to stop the second term ambition of the incumbent Governor.

But many ACN leaders, especially those who defected to the party from the LP are not comfortable with the new found alliance they allege to be between the ACN and Agagu's associates in the PDP.

Agbi's alleged parley with LP: However, the Dr Agagu-led faction counter-allege that the Professor Agbi group that went to court to halt the party's congresses last week was acting the script of Governor Mimiko, who according to them is sponsoring dissidents within the party.

Leaders of both factions though deny the allegations. Some of their members nevertheless agree that there may be some truth in the allegations leveled against each other by the factions.

PDP denies link with ACN: Speaking with Vanguard, PDP Director of Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, said that the PDP has no working agreement with the ACN in the coming governorship election.

He declared that the party would through the ballot send the ruling Labour Party packing next year and would do it without joining forces with any other political party. He said the insinuation that the two parties would work together to oust lroko was unfounded.

"Nobody in PDP has any link with the ACN and its leaders. ACN is not even a threat in the coming election. The PDP and the ACN are two parallel lines that cannot meet. The ACN is a promotion of cult personality while the PDP is for transformational change of the country."

LP has no hand in PDP crisis Sekoni, Odogiyan: Also, speaking on the allegation that they were acting the script of Mimiko, a plaintiff in the suit, which restrained the party from conducting the recent congress, Mr. Patrick Sekoni, said it was wrong for  anyone to have insinuated that it was the governor that was sponsoring their agitation against the leadership of the party as if they did not know their constitutional right.

Sekoni said that the grouse of some members of the party was that members of the Transition Committee, who assumed office illegally due to the crisis that rocked the party in October 2011, wanted to perpetuate themselves in office. He added that the state executive did not formally resign neither was it formally dissolved as required by the party's constitution.

Causing crisis within the ranks

Reacting to the issues, LP Director of Publicity, Mr Kole Odogiyan, said it was normal for the opposition to accuse government of causing crises within their ranks. He contended that if the PDP which was in power for six years had managed the goodwill it had in 2003, the people would not have voted it out of power in 2007.

He asked the PDP to trace its woes to the immediate past government of the party in the state, which failed to impact on the lives of the people, adding that the growing popularity of the LP was due to the life impacting projects of the administration. The director advised the PDP to look elsewhere for the source of its problems and stop blaming the LP government for its woes.

However, the only PDP member in the House of Assembly, Hon Lubi Akpoebi, has accused Governor Mimiko of sponsoring the dispute among PDP members. Akpoebi alleged that is was the state government that had been sponsoring some 'dissidents' within the party through frivolous legal actions and other means.

He said the LP government and the governor should be more concerned about providing good governance for the peace, order and good government of the state instead of being too engrossed on how it would rule the state for a second term.

Vanguard Nigeria