BY DAUD OLATUNJI

THE internal crises bedeviling the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seems to be defying all odds. While neighbouring state chapters are tending towards reconciliation, the factions in the Ogun State chapter are entrenching themselves in a bitter war of attrition.

THE loss of virtually all elective positions in Ogun State by the PDP in the last general elections was generally attributed to the supremacy battle between the  two major ‘drivers’   of the party, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-governor Gbenga Daniel.

Unfortunately for party enthusiasts, the crack has indeed widened to the extent that internal schisms within the two main factions have now led to the creation of at least four factions of the party in the state. Not surprisingly, peace has become a stranger to the PDP in the state.

Four  feuding drivers
The four  feuding drivers   are;  former President, Chief  Olusegun Obasanjo, who is  also the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party; a party financier ; Kashamu Buruji, former Minister of Commerce and Industry ; Jubril Martins-Kuye  and  former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

All the drivers, findings revealed, have repeatedly sought to outsmart one another if not directly, then through proxies. For instance, Obasanjo is driving the party through the Chairman, Transition, Reconciliation and Congress Committee (TRCC), Chief  Bode Mustapha, whose emergence was reported to have been facilitated by him.

The TRCC was set up by  the National Vice-Chairman  of the party, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo to  placate the three main  factions known to the national secretariat, namely the Obasanjo , Daniel,Martins-Kuye  and Buruji’s factions of the party.

The fourth, faction comprises of associates of the immediate former governor of the party, Mr. Gbenga Daniel who despite his support for the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, however, has not renounced his membership of the PDP.
Announcing the constitution of the TRCC, Oladipo the national vice_chairman had said: “I wish to state that the purpose of setting up the transition committees was not with the intention to witch-hunt anyone as is erroneously believed in some quarters.

Level playing ground
“The reasons for our actions include, but not limited to the following, the need to unify the party before the congresses; the need to provide a level-playing ground for all interests within the party to be able to fulfill  their aspirations in the forthcoming congresses; to midwife the congresses so that the executives to be produced in the congresses are acceptable to the generality of the party faithful.”

“I wish to reiterate that for the transition committees  to be able to fulfill their mandate, the chairmen and members cannot midwife themselves into office in the 2012 congresses,” he said.

Buruji is believed to be controlling a faction of the party loyal to the embattled state executive led by Chief Dayo Soremi.
The executive, which was inaugurated through an  arrangement  by the NEC to harmonise the then two  warring factions; Obasanjo and Daniel , before the  last  general election was designed  to accommodate  the factions that then existed.

The NEC in the arrangement, zoned  the Chairmanship position of the harmonized committee to Obasanjo’s faction which was otherwise  then known as JMK faction  and asked Daniel who was then the governor to produce the secretary with other twelve members.

The idea  was blatantly rejected and  shunned  by Daniel and led to the defection of almost all his loyalists to the PPN to realize their 2011 ambitions.

However, despite the rejection of   the idea by Daniel’s faction, the other party formed  the committee and  took over the machinery of the party.

Daniel and Obasanjo....driving different factions

Alleged imposition
The Jubril Kuye led faction of the party is believed to have been formed after its members dissented to the choice of Soremi as chairman believing that his alleged imposition by Obasanjo was not acceptable to the majority.

Soremi on his part has dissociated his group from the TRCC which he claimed was an attempt to lord it over the party and scheme out the executive. Soremi  who addressed newsmen  at the party secretariat shortly after the inauguration of the TRCC, said “Our attention has  been drawn to a purported replacement of Ogun State PDP Executive Committee.

“We humbly state unequivocally that it is impossible for that to be correct as to the best of our knowledge what has been formed is a Reconciliation Committee  with responsibility to reconcile all Party members toward the congress. He further faulted the power of the Southwest zonal committee to dissolve the state exco or takeover the functions of the state executive.

To worsen the situation, the  faction  got  an interlocutory injunction from a Federal High Court in Lagos which issued a bench warrant on Baraje and the zonal leadership of the party in the South West.

The Kuye led faction on its part has also gone to court to stop the PDP from recognizing any of its rivals as the legitimate executive of the party in the state.

The applicants in the suit No. M/53/2011  are Senator Babatunde Osholake, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi and Mr. Adewale Sunmola, while the PDP, the Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje and the National Vice -Chairman of the Southwest zone of party, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, Mr. Uche Secondus, the Legal Adviser to the party, Olusola Oke  are the respondents.

Justice M A  Dipeolu  who issued the interlocutory injunction,  also restrained the National PDP and six others from constituting a transition committee, reconciliation group, harmonization executive members of the Ogun State PDP to conduct primaries, congresses or undertake any other functions of the state harmonised executive member led by Senator Osholake pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

To buttress  their case , the  applicants presented six exhibits to prove that  Senator Osholake was nominated as the chairman, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi as Secretary and Adewale Sunmola as the Vice Chairman of the Ogun State harmonized executive committee as directed by the party National working Committee in a letter dated July 30, 2010.

In his ruling, Justice Dipeolu submitted that the applicants have proved that they have a legal right to protect. While adding  that the applicants have also shown that there is a genuine dispute between the parties to be determined by the court and shown that the balance of convenience is on their side and more justice will be done if the application is granted.

According to Dipeolu, the respondents were served with all the processes but ‘’failed to respond, therefore making the submissions of  the applicants and its sworn affidavits to remain unchallenged, un-controverted and un-contradicted”.
The fourth faction led by ex-governor Daniel can equally not be taken for granted despite the flux in identity between the faction and the Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN on which platform the faction contested the last general election.