South West PDP Leaders Meet, Plan Ahead National Convention

By Abiodun Ogunrinde
In order to fine-tune how the party will present a consensus candidate from the Southwest Zone during its next national convention, PDP chieftains in the geo political zone on Monday night met at Renaissance Hotel in Lagos.

Speaking at the meeting, the convener who is also the Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose said that the chieftains were convoked to share aspirants and find a common ground to make them an indivisible entity at the convention.

He said it would be wrong for the Southwest PDP to go to the convention without cohesion.

The meeting had in attendance, a former governor of Oyo state, Rashidi Ladoja, a former Deputy National chairman of the party, Chief Bode George, a former minister of Information, Dapo Sarumi and a former National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the South West, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipupo.

Speaking further, Governor Fayose said there would be more meetings which would involve other stakeholders of the party in the region to decide on a candidate among the aspirants vying for the position in the region.

The vacant national chairmanship position of the party which had been zoned to the South has been causing internal crisis among the party’s chieftains in the region over who should get the position.

Those who have declared their interest in vying for the position are Chief Bode George, a former governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and former minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran.

Although Daniel and Adeniran were not present at the meeting but the Ekiti State Governor expressed confidence they would be at subsequent meetings.

Speaking at the meeting, a former governor of Oyo State who was formerly the National Leader of Accord Party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja declared officially at the meeting that he is back in PDP.

According to him, “I am still consulting people on whether to also contest for the national chairmanship position of the PDP.”

He said before the week runs out, his decision on the matter would be made public.