Nigeria Content Online

The political
crisis rocking the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is not
limited to the national level of the party. There is crisis in
virtually all the state chapters and Osun, a state hitherto known for
peace, is not left out.

The house of the
PDP in the state seems to be strongly divided against itself and the
centre can hardly hold. This development is not unconnected with the
interest of some stakeholders of the party over who emerges as the
gubernatorial candidate of the party in the 2011 general election.

The party
leadership had tried to manage the crisis, but recent event has shown
that they are far from reaching a meaningful compromise.

The state
secretariat of the party has suspended the leaders of the party and
some members in Iwo Local Government Area of the state for alleged
anti-party activities, an allegation which the suspended members
strongly refuted. Aside this, a serious crisis looms in the six local
government areas in Ijesha area over who will represent the Ijesha zone
of Osun East Senatorial district of the state.

Similar crisis had
also broken out in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, where
party leaders and the chairman of the local council, Sarafadeen
Awotunde have disagreed. This has led to the polarization of the party
in the area.

There are parallel executives of the party in virtually all the 30 Local council branches of the party, as a result of crisis.

Political observers
say this might affect the unity of the party and its future in the
state, especially as it pertains to the 2011 governorship election. As
a result of the crisis, the party had last month suspended the chairman
of Ila Local Government, Bello over allegations of anti-party
activities. The party had also suspended the executive members of the
party in the council area, a development which the members of the party
in the area are protesting.

Basically, the
crisis, which has almost split the party into two, is seen as a result
of the interest of the leadership of the party in a particular
governorship aspirant who hails from Ile-Ife, in the East senatorial
district, out of the 15 aspirants that had shown interest in the
governorship race and obtained the N3 million intention of interest
form sold by the party secretariat.

Supporting one candidate

Some party leaders
alleged that the state chairman of the party, Ademola Rasaq was
supporting the candidature of one of the aspirants and had mobilized
heavily for him, and had even ordered all the local government chairmen
of the party to rally round the candidate in their various council
areas. However, this situation did not go down well with some of the
chairmen who prefer other aspirants, hence the crisis.

The PDP members in
Iwo, who recently staged a peaceful protest against the dissolution of
the executives of the party in the council area, alleged that they were
victimized by the leadership of the party due to their support for
Fatai Akinbade, the former Secretary to the Osun State government who
is also vying for the governorship position.

The aggrieved
members blame the leadership of the party for destabilizing the party
structure in the area and threatened that if not curbed, the present
crisis may destroy the party before the next general election.

Some of the
placards carried by the angry PDP members, who were mostly youth, read:
“Don’t impose minority on the majority in Iwo PDP”; “Minority cannot
rule over majority in Iwo Local Government”; and “Iwo PDP exco remain
intact” among some other unprintable words directed at the state
leadership of the party.

“ The state
executive of the party had no just reason to suspend the executive of
the party in the local government, since there was no crisis in the
party,” a leader of the protesting youth, Rauf Salawu said. “The
victimization of the majority of members of the PDP in Iwo zone was
targeted at Fatai Akinbade, who is a son of the soil and whom we are
supporting in his bid to emerge as the party’s flag bearer. This does
not go down well with some executives in the state chapter of the
party, because they wanted to penetrate into us but could not have
their ways.” He also warned the leadership of the party against
imposition of executives to administer the party in Iwo, saying it will
not augur well for the party in the general elections. He also advised
all members of the party in the zone not to allow themselves to be used
by any individual for selfish reason, even as he called for more unity
and understanding amongst members of the party.

Ijesha is also divided

The crisis in
Ijesha zone was caused by the decision of the elders’ caucus of the PDP
in the area to endorse one of the six aspirants. The caucus, under the
leadership of former minister of transport, Ebenezer Babatope, recently
announced the endorsement of a member of the House of Representatives,
Gbenga Onigbogi as the sole gubernatorial aspirant of the party from
Ijesha land.

Nine aspirants have
signified intention to contest the gubernatorial election from Ijesha
zone and three have done so from the Ife axis. Those from Ijesha zone
are Gbenga Onigbogi (Ilesa West); Toye Wahab (Obokun); Diran Odeyemi
(Obokun); Lateef Bakare (Ilesa East); Tunde Odanye (Ilesa West); Remi
Olowu (Ilesa West); Dosu Fatokun (Obokun); Femi Alafe-Aluko (Ilesa
East) and Saka Sarumi (Ilesa West). The aspirants from Ife zone are
Iyiola Omisore (Ife Central), Femi Fani-Kayode Ife Central) and Baju
Bamigbetan (Ife Central).

The decision to
endorse a single aspirant as Ijesha candidate did not go down well with
other aspirants and their followers, a development which made them
query the rationale behind the endorsement of Onigbogi and the
disqualification of other aspirants.

A pressure group in
the area, Ijesha Redemption Group asked the Elders to explain the
factors considered before concluding on Mr Onigbogi. It also cautioned
the leadership of the party against acts that might affect the
successful performance of the party in the 2011 election.

The Leader of the
group, Gbenga Fowowe said the endorsement of Mr Onigbogi was against
the PDP constitution and an affront on the members of the party in the
area, alleging that the process was not transparent and was marred by
bribery and high level corruption.

“This action is a total negation of the PDP constitution and operational guidelines,” he said.