BY DAPO AKINREFON and OLA AJAYI
THE race for the 2015 general elections appears to  have begun. With less than three years to the conduct of the general elections, politicians are not resting on their oars, in order to be relevant in the political permutations ahead. This is why those, who lost out at the 2011 elections have commenced strategising with the aim of becoming relevant in the next dispensation.

In the South West geo-political zone, where the Action Congress of Nigeria, holds sway, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has commenced subtle moves aimed at returning to mainstream politics. Presently, the ACN controls the entire South west region, save Ondo State, which is controlled by Labour Party.

Obasanjo woes Ladoja: This determination to bounce back, perhaps,  informed the recent visit of  former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the Ibadan residence of a former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasidi Ladoja. Obasanjo, who arrived the Bodija private residence of the former governor, held a closed-door meeting with Ladoja.

Chief Obasanjo, clad in a blue Agbada and a cap to match, arrived at Ladoja’s residence in a black Jeep marked Lagos CV 48 APP at exactly 1.58 p.m last Monday. He was in company of the national vice chairman of the PDP in the South-West, Chief Segun Oni and others.

Leaders present at the meeting included a former deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja, and a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Adeolu Adeleke, as well as other party stalwarts. The former president, who laced his comments with proverbs, noted that there was need for the PDP to return to its pre-2011 era in the region.

Expression of dissatisfaction
He said, “Something happened which made the crayfish to bend and with time, the bent crayfish would be straightened.” According to a source, the former PDP BOT chairman was said to have expressed dissatisfaction with elements bent on disrupting the peace of the party and warned them to desist, adding that he came to Ibadan to “tell the leaders the position they belong.”

Ladoja, who spoke sparingly after the visit, said the stalled negotiation between him and the PDP had resumed with the visit of Chief Obasanjo. Ladoja, in his comments, said negotiation between his Accord Party and the PDP was still on_going, adding that what was being expected was a possible merger of the two parties in the state.

However, it would be recalled that the  refusal of Ladoja  to return to the PDP led to the parallel state congress of the party on March 17. Besides, it was gathered that Obasanjo’s visit, was not the first time overtures were made to Ladoja. The Minister of  State for the FCT, Jumoke Akinjide, and Arapaja had earlier made overtures to Ladoja to return to the party.

Outcome of the meeting
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, a chieftain of PDP, Chief Olakojo, described the meeting as successful, noting that only enemies of progress and development of the PDP in Oyo State would oppose the return of Ladoja to the party he helped build.

Olakojo urged those nursing the ambition to be governor of the state in 2015 to realise that only God can determine who would clinch the ticket, warning such people to perish their inordinate ambition and refrain from destroying the party. “If you see the result of the last gubernatorial election, you would see that if we added what Accord had to that of the PDP, we would have beaten the ACN hands down.

And because Senator Ladoja is that big fish, Obasanjo felt that he should do everything to bring him back to the PDP,” he noted, adding that, “only enemies of the progress will not want him. Position belongs to God and service is a challenge. Only God knows who is going to be governor in 2015. Some people should not, because of their inordinate and selfish ambition, destroy the PDP in Oyo State. We are going to bring everybody together in the PDP.”

Oyinlola, George meet to strategise: Also, coming on the heels of the Ibadan meeting, was another meeting by party bigwigs in Lagos. The Lagos gathering, was between the  National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, Lagos State Chairman of the party, Captain Tunji Shelle (rtd) and other bigwigs.
The leaders, it was gathered, also deliberated on ways to move the party forward and prevent future dismal performances at the polls.

Vanguard gathered that at the closed-door parley held at the residence of George, the leaders expressed worry over the dominance of  ACN and vowed to put its house in order to secure victory in all South west states especially, Lagos at the 2015 polls.

On the agenda at the meeting were plans by leaders of the party to present credible candidates, who would lead PDP to victory in subsequent elections.

It was also gathered that the meeting was aimed at reconciling aggrieved members of the party in the South west, especially those who left in anger.

A source told Vanguard that the deliberations focused on resolving the crises which had besieged the South west chapter of the party for some time now.

Earlier, a meeting of leaders from the region, had been held on the insistence of Oni. The meeting, it was gathered, was held to resolve the lingering crisis that has held the region redundant.

When Vanguard put a call through to the newly elected Lagos PDP boss, Mr Shelle, he declined comment saying, “I am not in a position to divulge any information on what was deliberated at the meeting.”