By HENRY UMORU

…as Tukur refuses ex-gov’s plea
ABUJA – FORMER governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, yesterday, stormed the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as part of moves for reconciliation of members of the party following long irreconcilable political differences.

Also yesterday, Daniel  was at the Wadata Plaza of the party to convince the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to shift the date of today’s congresses, but he failed to achieve that after a meeting that was held for well over six hours.

It was also gathered that though the former governor had sought for total reconciliation of aggrieved members with other stakeholders of the party in the state, but the PDP National Chairman was said to have told him that he must follow due process of reconciliation from the state, just as he was advised to start the reconciliation from  the state, then to the South- West zone before coming to the National Secretariat.

Before they entered a closed-door meeting, Tukur had said in his opening speech that the party operates as a family and will ensure reconciliation at all levels, adding, “We are all PDP family. What brought you here is one of the reasons why we all told Nigerians when I took over the reins of PDP through election that I will work on triple R, reconciliation, reformation and rebuilding the party based on equity and justice. You came here so that we can be able to get peace to reign because once you have that the next is security and what next is investment.”

Prior to the National Chairman’s response, former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Sharafa Ishola, who was part of the visit that was made up of some Elders and leaders from the state, debunked speculations that Daniel dumped PDP for a rival political party over the crisis that engulfed the state chapter of PDP before the last governorship elections.

The former minister also declared that the Ogun PDP Elders were at the party national secretariat on a mission to find lasting peace in the state chapter of the party, just as he stressed that the group was not in Abuja to represent any particular faction, adding, “this is not a meeting of a faction.”

At the meeting yesterday, total reconciliation became elusive because Tukur needed a larger house like the presence of other stakeholders that should include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Tunji Olurin, who was the party’s governorship candidate at the 2011 general election, Doyin Okupe and former Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jubril Martins-Kuye.

It will be recalled that though, Daniel did not officially leave PDP, he was said to have been the brain behind the formation of Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, which produced Gboyega Isiaka as its governorship candidate when he lost out to Gen. Olurin (rtd), who was the candidate of the PDP as well as that of former Chairman of Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

At yesterday’s meeting, Tukur was said to have insisted that to ensure total reconciliation with all member that the Daniel and his group should take part in today’s state’s congress election.

Though, the PDP National secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola  was not at the meeting held at the office of the national chairman, but Daniel and his group as gathered later held another round of meeting with the national secretary after their meeting with Tukur, even as other members of the National Working Committee, NWC stayed out of the meeting, but no reason was given for their absence.

Answering questions from Journalists at the end of the meeting, former Governor Gbenga Daniel said, ‘’We came to meet the national chairman of the party, you know that since his emergence we haven’t had the opportunity to meet. So, what we have done was to wish him the best and also tell him to look into the various crises in the state chapter of the party. ‘’There is no polarization, there were disagreement based on principles and we have agreed to work together”.

Besides,  Gbenga Daniel and Sharafa Ishola other elders at the meeting were Chief Bolapo Ogunjobi, Senator Monsuru Osholake, Dr, Ishiaq Salako, Chief Niyi Adegbenro, Princess Ronke Ogunremi, Deaconess Iyabode Akpankpa and Otunba Odusote.