Oyo PDP: Obasanjo’s last missionary journey

[MrVan]

By Ola Ajayi,   Ibadan

Few weeks ago, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was almost reinventing itself casting away the bickering image that shadowed it into its woeful electoral performance of last year.

In meetings that were at one time thought to be impossible, political enemies sat side by side and sang songs of forgiveness.

Olusegun Obasanjo In attendance at one of such meetings few weeks ago were Senator Lekan Balogun, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, Elder Wole Oyelese, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Senator Teslim Folarin, Chief Olayiwola Lakojo, Dr. Saka Balogun who represented the former Governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and many others.

However, four weeks after, the political rivalry they had openly declared to have buried has resurfaced and this time with even stronger vehemence. Alliances have been redefined and former friends turned enemies and the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN which only four weeks ago was fidgeting over the PDP reconciliation now in a bounce even with its own crisis with labour.

The crisis came to a head during the recent state congress of the party held about two weeks ago when those who had claimed to have patched up their differences held separate elective congresses. While Akala, Balogun, Folarin, Adeojo held theirs at the Liberty Stadium, the new faction led by the duo of  Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja held a parallel congress at the Olubadan Stadium. The different factions produced rival state executives who are each laying claim to authenticity.

It was not surprising that former President Olusegun Obasanjo in  one of his last duties as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party rushed to the state last Monday to intervene.

That day Obasanjo visited his erstwhile political enemy, the former Governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja in his Bodija residence, who interestingly is at the centre of the emerging crisis. Ladoja's seeming interest to return to the PDP has rattled some stakeholders who are alleged to be uncomfortable with the return of the former Governor.

So when Obasanjo met with Ladoja it was like a father reuniting with a repentant prodigal son as Obasanjo opened his arms and gave him a warm embrace to the admiration of scores of their party supporters who had come to verify if actually what they heard was true.

The immediate past National Vice Chairman, South West, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo did not mind boosting Ladoja's ego saying that day the party could not afford to risk leaving Ladoja out of the party.

"Ladoja's return to the party is very crucial because just few days to the election, nobody thought he would be able to garner success that he recorded. Now, we have seen that he is a crowd puller. We can't allow him to stay away".

 

Ladoja, who was controversially impeached in 2006 had variously accused the former president of being the one behind his impeachment.

Following the about two hours meeting with Ladoja behind closed doors, Obasanjo said in a jovial manner, "something happened which made crayfish to bend and that very soon the bent crayfish would be straightened".

Those in attendance at the forum were the former deputy governor of the state, Taofeek Arapaja and former speaker of the House of Assembly, Adeolu Adeleke and other PDP bigwigs in the state.

Before the meeting at Ladoja's residence, the chasm in the party had been exemplified at the inauguration of one of the factional executives when Arapaja, who had been a 'good boy' to his former boss, Akala seemingly turned against him.

Apparently, laying blame of the hydra-headed crises to the doorstep of his former boss, Akala, he said, the refusal of the past administration to give peace a chance by allowing senator Rashidi Ladoja back into the party was responsible for the failure of the party to win the 2007 election in the state.

He said, "PDP is for all. Nobody will be allowed to dictate things again. That is what led us here. Some of us still have integrity. Last year, we had power, money (in fact, people were calling us ATM) but we did not listen. We need to work together. We will continue to tell them. He wants to be everywhere, everything; it is not done in a democracy."

The effort to bring Ladoja back to the party has, however, not been unnoticed by the ACN which has warned the former Governor to retrace his steps.

The party speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Hon Dauda Kolawole, said the visit of the former president to Senator Ladoja is an ill-wind that could only lead to disaster for the former governor if he abandons a party he helped to build and to rejoin a party whose leaders he described as traditional vipers, scorpions and those who have run Nigeria aground.

 

The ACN drew Ladoja's attention to the fact that the same Obasanjo who had now seen him as a worthy bride was the same person who supervised and choreographed his illegal impeachment as governor and supplanted him with his deputy whom the ACN said was "a total antithesis of and indeed destroyed all that Senator Ladoja stands for in politics."

"The intention of Obasanjo in bringing Ladoja back to the PDP, we hope Ladoja knows, is not because he likes the former governor. He is aware that the regime he foisted on Oyo State after Ladoja can only be likened to that of an armed robbers' invasion. Even though he was a recipient of some of the heists, deep within him, he is aware of the quality of that government. He only needs Ladoja's name and clout to gain legitimacy and immediately this is achieved, he will bare his age-long fang," the ACN warned.

But many PDP enthusiasts are calling on the new national and zonal executives to intervene decisively in the matter.

Vanguard Nigeria