FOLLOWING the Supreme Court’s ruling affirming Senator Ahmed
Makarfi as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the race
for the national chairmanship slot has gathered momentum...
With Makarfi handed
an additional four-month mandate as chairman of the National Caretaker
Committee, NCC, the PDP must hold a national convention to elect its national
chairman in December, 2017. Already, a host of contenders have thrown their
hats into the ring in the jostle for the top job, which is being narrowed down
to the South West, the only geo-political zone that is yet to produce a
national chairman. •Bode George, •Gbenga Daniel & •Tunde Adeniran The
aspirants Among the leading aspirants for the position are former Deputy
National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George; former Minister of
Education, Professor Tunde Adeniran; former Minister of Sports and Special
Duties, Professor Taoheed Adedoja; former Lagos State PDP Governorship
Candidate, Mr Jimi Agbaje; a chieftain of the party, Mr Owolabi Salis; former
Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; and immediate past Governor of
Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. Indeed, the contest will be an interesting one
given the calibre of political titans vying for the position. Factors, forces
that will shape contest Expectedly, various forces are now at play and factors
that will shape the contest have panned out as stakeholders increase efforts to
take the pre-eminence. One of such factors is the desirability of the PDP
Governors’ Forum to pick one of their own to emerge as national chairman of the
party. Perhaps, this necessitated the late entry of former governor of Ondo
State, Dr Mimiko, who was said to have been drafted into the race by some
serving and former governors of the party. However, there is also a push to
have a candidate, who knows the workings of the PDP and and has remained
steadfast with the party. So far, most of the aspirants are criss crossing the
length and breadth of the country wooing party leaders, stakeholders and
members, especially would-be delegates to support their cause. The contest is
expected to be tough as the delegates may have a hard nut to crack over which
aspirant to vote for. Though there have been arguments for and against a
consensus candidate from the zone, some of the aspirants are not in support of
this. The likes of Adeniran and Adedoja have expressed their reservation on the
emergence of a consensus candidate. Adeniran Professor Adeniran, former
ambassador to Germany is a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT). Though,
he has kept a low profile in the party his associates hold the view that he has
a good chance to emerge as PDP leader. He is working underground to woo
delegates to throw their weight behind him when the convention is held in
December. Agbaje There are strong indications that Agbaje is enjoying the
support of some governors who are angling for a paradigm shift in the party.
Agbaje contested and lost the 2015 governorship elections in Lagos to the
current governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode. He has since gone underground even at the
state level of the party. The pharmacist-turned politician believes he stands a
better chance to unite all the contending forces in the party, if given the
mandate. Salis The United States of America-based lawyer and accountant cannot
be said to be a newcomer to Lagos politics, having battled unsuccessfully to
clinch the PDP Lagos governorship ticket thrice. He claims he has the magic
wand to turn things around for the PDP as the 2019 general polls approach.
George There is, however, a move by some governors and party leaders to throw
up George, who is considered the most experienced of the lot. George, a former
naval officer, will be counting on his years of experience having risen through
the ranks since 1999. To many of his supporters, George has carved a niche for
himself because he is widely known as a leading politician and front line
leader of the PDP but what is not too well known about him is that he is also
one of this country’s leading trouble shooters. During the 2003 general
elections, the victory recorded by the PDP in the South-West was due, in large
part to his capacity for conflict resolution. He was ever ready to take to the
roads to resolve any intra party conflict in any corner of the zone. One factor
that would give him an edge at the party’s convention stems from the fact that
he has rendered selfless and diligent and patriotic service to his country.
Besides this, upon retirement, Chief George has continued to play key roles in
the affairs of the country. He is a respected analyst and profound commentator
on public affairs. He was one of the patriots who worked for the convening of
the 1994/95 National Constitutional Conference as a means of turning things
around and changing the political landscape of the country. His patriotic stand
on issues made him go on exile to the United Kingdom in 1997 during the regime
of late General Sani Abacha. While in exile he joined forces with patriotic
elements to work assiduously for the emergence of democratic rule in the
country. Chief George later teamed up with other nationalists within the ambit
of the PDP in November 1998. He worked tirelessly for the success of the party
in the 1999 elections. He served as a member in the immediate transitional
stage between the elections and the inauguration of President Olusegun
Obasanjo. This endeared him to party leaders and members as he was later
elected the National Vice Chairman (South West) of the PDP. Bode George will
transform PDP – Babatope Speaking recently with newsmen on the issue, former
Minister of Transport and chieftain of the PDP, Chief Ebenezer Babatope said:
“It is only right and fair that the South-West should produce the chairman
since it has not produced any since 1999. Our party, the PDP was in power for
16 years of unbroken democratic governance. In this particularization, every
zone had enjoyed the helmsman-ship of our party leadership except the
South-West. This is troubling, this is not fair, this is unacceptable,”
Justifying his support for George on the belief that the former Board Chairman
of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) remains the”best man to pilot the affairs
of the party to a new and glorious beginning,” he said he was leading a mobilization support team for George based on his conviction and other
South-West leaders in the ability of the party chieftain to lead the PDP.
Describing George as morally upright, he noted that his conviction for corruption
had been nullified by the Supreme Court which described his conviction as a
“frame up.” He called on party members in the zone to bury their hatchet and
support the aspiration of George.
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