By Leke Adeseri, South West Regional Editor & Kolade Larewaju
THE crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in Ogun State Sunday reached its height as the two factions elected two governorship candidates for the forthcoming elections at separate congresses held by the two factions. It was the climax to some political intrigues that had plagued the ruling party for years.

The governorship primaries which was expected to bring the warring factions together however showed that only the National Headquarters would be able to solve the problems

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Party who was expected at the congress as a special delegate was conspicuously absent at both of the events as he was said to have gone to Cote D’Ivore.

Chairman of the party, Chief Joju Fadairo however disowned the former President saying that he would no go into anybody’s house to force them to be member of the party when they refused to do so voluntarily.

The stage for the “mother of all battles” was set as early as 7.am when the main road passing in front of the MKO Abiola Stadium – Presidential Boulevard – venue of the primaries of the Governor Olugbenga Daniel group was sealed by the police leaving only one lane for motorists to ply.

Tunji Olurin... Obasanjo’s candidate and Gboyega Isiaka... Daniel’s candidate.

The road was blocked from the Kuto and the Stadium end. Cars were parked alongside the highway and traffic was diverted through the Government Reservation Area [GRA] of the state capital.

Less than half a kilometer to the blocked road is also the MKO Abiola way through which the prestigious Obasanjo Presidential Library could be accessed. The road was also littered with vehicles of all kinds, all trying to park or gain entrance to the Library – venue of the primaries of the Jubril Martins Kuye faction.

The crowd at both events was large. Tension was very high, palpable in the air. Both events however held without any report of clash or bloodshed.

While the Senator Jubril Martins –Kuye faction which enjoys the support of the former President elected former Military Governor of Oyo State; Gen. Adetunji Idowu Olurin [rtd] at its congress, the Governor Daniel faction elected former Managing Director of Gateway Holdings; Mr. Gboyega Nasir Isiaka at its congress. At the Kuye congress, Olurin polled 754 votes as against Chief Olalekan Ojo’s 8 votes, Revd. Jide Awosedo; 1 vote, Chief Leye Odunjo; 19 votes, Mrs. Kafilat Ogbara; 1 vote and Dr. Anthony Ojesina; 22 votes.

But at the Daniel’s factional congress which had in attendance Governor Olugbenga Daniel and the Speaker of the House of Representatives; Mr. Dimeji Bankole, National Officers of the party led by Col. Abdulmumuni Aminu [rtd] supervised the elections while a team from the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] from Abuja led by Mr. Dickson Atiba was also at the stadium. Gboyega Nosiru Isiaka polled 831 votes to defeat Olurin who polled no vote, Dr. Kunle Salako; 16 votes and Mrs. Titi Ajanaku 8 votes.

Why parallel congresses

Why would the two groups hold separate congresses? To observers it was expected. The two camps – Governor Olubenga Daniel faction led by the Chairman of the Party; Elder Joju Fadairo and the Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye faction with Bashorun Dayo Soremi as Chairman – had been at daggers drawn for sometime over the control of the party with each side claiming to be the authentic, which led to the holding of the separate congresses even from the ward level.

While the Joju Fadairo group insists that they were duly elected at the State Congress, the Dayo Soremi group insists on the harmonization of the State executive Council of the party as directed by the National Working Committee of the party.

The Jubril Martins Kuye faction is believed to have the support of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senators Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and Lekan Mustapha, Chief Sule Onabiyi and about four members of the House of Representatives as Speaker Dimeji Bankole is said to have crossed over to the Daniel group.

In the Daniel camp are members of the Party Executive, Commissioners, Special adviser and Assistants and Local Government Chairmen. Speaker Dimeji Bankole’s change of camp was said to have accounted for his election last week when the duo of the former speaker of the Ogun State House, Mrs. Titi Oseni and another member of the House, Mr. Fasiu Bakenne were forced to step down paving way for him to be elected unopposed. Bankole’s switch of camp became more evident when he appeared at the Daniel’s faction’s congress.
Rivalry between Obasanjo and Abiola rekindled
With the parallel congresses of last Friday however, where the daughter of the acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 elections, Bashorun MKO Abiola; Mrs. Lola Abiola-Edewor won on one hand and the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Senator Iyabo Obasanjo Bello winning on the other hand, the same Ogun Central District Seat and both holding on to their “victory”, it was obvious that neither of the two groups was willing to shift grounds.

Issues to be resolved by the National Headquarters of the party would be many.

One of such issues became obvious by the arrival of some women shortly before the commencement of the primary, led by the newly elected Senatorial candidate of the party in Ogun Central; Mrs. Lola Abiola to protest against alleged plans to annul the election of Abiola Edewor in favor of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo- Bello saying she would have to be killed for such a thing to happen.

Speaking with newsmen during the protest; Abiola –Edewor said “we won’t allow injustice. We will go to any extent to challenge it. My father stood his ground and died. It is my mandate, I have my certificate signed by the chairman of the election panel and the observers. The certificate is with me. We will take this to a logical conclusion. They should stop picking unpopular candidates for this party; that is why they are losing states all over the country because they picked unpopular candidates.

“Nobody will ask me to step down. My father did not step down. Omoakin ni mi (I’m a fearless and brave child). My father did not step  down, he died instead. I, Omolola Abiola-Edewor, by the grace of God will not accept injustice. We will take it to any length.

“What did the Abiola family use to offend them? What did Abiola do to them? They cancelled my father’s election, now they want to cancel my own. This will be their last attempt. It will never happen. Those who killed my father cannot kill me and if they want to kill me, I’m waiting for them.”

She wondered why Obasanjo-Bello should be treated with undue favoritism when she submitted herself to screening at the PDP State Secretariat but deliberately refused to show up for the primaries supervised by the National Assembly Election Panel of the PDP.

“This is the designated spot for election; that is where we are voting governorship primaries today. This is where we held the senatorial election (on Friday) and Iyabo Obasanjo refused to show up. Iyabo

Obasanjo recognizes the exco of this party and she got screened at the PDP Secretariat here. Since she subjected herself to screening there, she must subject herself to voting here. She refused to come and obviously, she still has some people (supporters); she got three votes. We will not accept it. They have killed my father, they have annulled June 12, and they better come and kill me too.”

It was with this premise that both held their separate congresses with the Jubril Martins Kuye group coming out publicly that it enjoys former President Obasanjo’s support by holding its congress at the Presidential Library which ordinarily was no go area for members of the public except by invitation from the former President. Only worshipers at the Chapel built within the premises have the privilege of going in for worship services.

Olurin’s acceptance speech

Speaking with newsmen after his own election, Gen. Adetunji Idowu Olurin said “there will be transparency and hard work. People will be carried along in whatever we do. We will not leave anybody aside. We must change the whole system. We must change the state for better.

“We are not going to discharge our duty carelessly. We will recognize values and make sure that at any given time, we will carry our people along. I will transform the state.

On parallel primaries in the state Olurin said: ‘’Whoever emerges will do so  through the national headquarters because the national chairman has said that he  will take every  complaints into consideration, both parallel primaries and complaints, he said will be looked into. I am confident that PDP national  headquarters will do the right thing.

Isiaka’s acceptance speech

Gboyega Isiaka in his own speech after his victory also accepted that there was factionalization within the party but appealed to everyone to come together for the general election. He said “the PDP remains the choice for development and progress. The task to move Ogun State forward is for all. I cannot on my own alone succeed except by the special grace of God and the full support and cooperation of you all. We are people with a common destiny. It is therefore, my hope and indeed my expectation that you will all join hands with in the journey we are embarking upon today so that together we shall share the joy of taking our State to the Promised Land”.

Speaking with newsmen the head of the PDP team from Abuja Cold Aminu gave the Daniel group the nod saying “ I’ve come to conduct election, I’m not aware of any parallel or no parallel. I was asked to come to Ogun State to conduct primaries, I got in touch with the chairman of the party and I’m brought the location of the primary and this is what I would do now.

“If you go and check your newspapers, you have seen the names of the panel established and you have seen Colonel Abdul Mumuni Aminu and majority of you here know me. So, it’s not a fake arrangement. Thank you very much.”