By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

The heated campaign for the office of spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ended with the emergence of a veteran journalist Mr. Kola Ologbondinyan. He beat a number of passionate advocates of the PDP among whom were Mr. Farouk Audu-Adejoh from Kogi State and Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, a former minister in the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

APC & PDP

His emergence has inevitably set the stage for what many political observers expect to see a vigorous contest of ideas between the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The interest arises from the fact that both party spokesmen were at one time editors at Thisday. Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the spokesman of the APC, a former minister was, however, by far the senior editor having left Thisday in 2003 to serve in the Bukola Saraki administration in Kwara State.

Following his stint in Kwara, he was appointed the minister in the Goodluck Jonathan cabinet and left the cabinet in March 2014 upon his loyalty to Saraki who had at that time left the PDP for the APC.

Ologbondinyan may have been a junior editor in Thisday when Abdullahi left having been the Senate Correspondent at that time before stints as Political Editor and subsequently spokesman to Senate President David Mark, one of his two political godfathers, the other being Senator Tunde Ogbeha.

Remarkably, both men pulled the levels with Chief Olisa Metuh and Senator Ike Ekweremadu to help him become the spokesman of the PDP. Given the antecedents of the two men it was not surprising that just one day after the PDP convention that the fireworks sparked out.

Welcoming Ologbondiyan to the scene, Abdullahi in a press statement last Sunday flayed the outcome of the PDP convention saying, that it was characterised by vote-buying and that the PDP has refused to change its colours.

“The abnormalities that trailed the PDP National Convention have further exposed the PDP as a Party not ready and willing to change. Indeed, the PDP has once again displayed itself to the generality of Nigerians that it is a Party with corruption deeply rooted in its DNA.

“Again, it is tragic that the PDP which used to pride itself as “the biggest political Party in Africa” has now been reduced to a regional party. By frustrating South West Chairmanship candidates, it is unfortunate that the PDP has decided to punish the South West for not voting for the Party in 2015.” “We urge members of the PDP that can pass the integrity test to join the APC so that we can together bring about the much-needed Change the country deserves.”

Hours later, Ologbondiyan in his first statement retorted describing the APC as being jittery over the resolution of the enthronement of a new PDP exco.

PDP Convention: APC Jittery, Clutching On Straws.

“It is indeed laughable that the APC which has roundly failed in not only managing the affairs of the country but also its own internal issues would recourse to panic mode just because the PDP has succeeded in uniting its fronts by conducting of a very credible elective National Convention.

“We were very much aware of the plots by the APC to scuttle the convention and failing it has resorted to a failed attempt to discredit an elective convention that has been adjudged as creditable, novel and laudable by political stakeholders and lovers of democracy across the nation.

“Is it not disgusting, reprehensible and embarrassing that the APC that has repeatedly failed to hold meetings, congresses and convention in the last three years and has flagrantly continued to violate its own constitution is questioning our party’s rights to perform her legitimate and constitutional obligation?

“Perhaps APC leaders have never read Article 25 (A)(i) of their party’s Constitution which stipulates that “the National Convention of the party (APC) shall be held once in two years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee (NWC) and approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and at least 14 days notice given to members eligible to attend.”