PDP To Approach Gbenga Daniel, For Help To Defeat Amosun
lead a three-man delegation of the Peoples
Democratic Party to Ogun State on
Thursday to cement the working
agreement between the state PDP and the
Labour Party for the 2015 general
elections.
Also expected to be on the PDP team are
the Deputy National Chairman of the party,
Chief Uche Secondus, and the Special
Assistant to the President on Political
Affairs, Prof. Rufa'i Alkali.
Mark's team is expected to work on the
ongoing discussion between the PDP and a
former state Governor, Chief Gbenga
Daniel, who is leading the Labour Party in
the state to defect to the PDP.
Daniel had earlier this year defected from
the PDP to the LP in controversial
circumstances after which the national
leadership of the LP handed over the
leadership of the party to the former
governor.
Investigation revealed that President
Goodluck Jonathan, who already had a
strong assurance that the LP would support
him in his bid to retain his seat in 2015,
also believed that the PDP should win the
state governorship election.
A competent source in the camp of the
former governor told one of our
correspondents on the telephone on
Tuesday that the Presidency had asked
Daniel to "collapse his structure" in the LP
into the PDP in order to unseat the
incumbent Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, in
the 2015 election.
"The Labour Party has already endorsed the
candidacy of President Jonathan in 2015
but the President felt his fortune would be
brighter if the state also falls into the
hands of the PDP in the governorship
election," said the lawmaker, who had
defected from the All Progressives
Congress to the LP.
"He (Jonathan) believes the APC would win
the next elections in the state if the PDP
goes into the 2015 elections in its present
state."
The source, who craved anonymity,
explained that Daniel's meeting with the LP
faithful at his Asoludero Court residence in
Sagamu on Sunday, was to finalise their
planned defection to the PDP on the
prompting of Jonathan.
He was said to have enjoyed the backing of
the party supporters to "collapse" the LP
structure in the state into the PDP.
The source said the Presidency considered
the report of independent assessors, who
had come up with a verdict that the PDP as
presently constituted, would not be able to
defeat Amosun in 2015.
"It was then decided that if the party (PDP)
could work on Daniel to bring his LP
supporters to the PDP, it will be easy to
unseat the APC and Amosun," he said.
Daniel was however said to be demanding
some elective seats at the state and
national levels before moving his
"structure" to the PDP, where he would
have to work with his once close friend,
who later became his arch enemy, Buruji
Kashamu.
"The former governor wants one senate
seat, five seats in the House of
Representatives and 14 House of Assembly
slots. These demands may however be cut
down. These are the calculations that Mark
and others will resolve when they come on
Thursday," the source said.
He disclosed that the PDP in the state was
concluding plans to field a former Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Mr.
Dimeji Bankole, for the state governorship
election.
He explained that the impending return of
Daniel to the PDP might not change the
plan as Bankole's candidature would be "by
affirmation."
The source said, "There wouldn't be any
need for primaries for the governorship
since the 'parties' would have known what
belong to them. The governorship seat will
be by affirmation."
Daniel, however, said he was still
consulting concerning his reported plan to
defect to the PDP.
He said as a "credible and trustworthy
leader", he had been given the mandate by
the leaders in the Labour Party to consult
widely with other political parties before
taking the final decision on where to pitch
his structure's tent.
In a statement on Tuesday, the media aide
to the ex-governor, Mr. Ayo Giwa, said
Daniel had been empowered to consult
with various political parties and thereafter
decide on the way to go.
The Publicity Secretary of the LP, Ogun
State, Mr. Deji Kalejaiye, in a telephone
interview with one of our correspondents
on Tuesday, also said Daniel was still
consulting with other political parties on
what he called the Amosun Must Go
project.
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