BY OLA AJAYI

Embroiled in an unpredictable power tussle at the national level, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has undoubtedly been in free fall in the Southwest.

From controlling all but one of the States in the region, the party today has no presence in any one of the seven Government Houses in the region.

From having a majority of the members of the National Assembly delegation before the 2011 elections, the PDP can only count one PDP senator from the Southwest and a handful of members of the House of Representatives.

Efforts to repair the damage have remarkably not been successful given the legendary infighting among the party leaders from the zone.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo who helped the party to get prominence in the zone has also not been successful and has found himself lately, fighting for relevance in the zone which he claims presently has a wanted criminal directing the affairs of the zone.

His letter to the national chairman insisting on his withdrawal from the affairs of the party on account of the development has only complicated developments.

It was against the background of the lethargy that  a respected elder, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), second republic Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, summoned some leaders and elders of the party in the zone to find ways of putting the ugly past behind them and forge ahead as a united family.

Just last week, a former Minister of Power and Steel, Elder Wole Oyelese warned President Goodluck Jonathan that an ‘Abuja minority group’ claiming to possess  the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State for now would only bring electoral misfortune to the party in 2015 elections.

Electoral misfortune

Unless the tide of things changes, he said, winning the governorship seat back from the ruling All Progressives Congress would be a herculean task.

Oyelese, who is one of the founding members of the PDP in the state, asked the leadership of the party to organise free and fair ward congresses in the state to test the popularity of those Abuja-based PDP chieftains who, he said, have been dashed the structure of the party.

Confirming that the party is sharply divided, he said, as things are now in the state, PDP has four groups.

According to him, the groups are championed  by Otunba Alao–Akala, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Teslim Folarin and the Neutral group in this crisis is led by him.

Three of the four groups, he clarified, had agreed that the only way to save the party in the state was to organise fresh free and fair congresses from the ward to the state levels.

Though, a faction sympathetic to Buruji Kashamu tried to stop the meeting by calling on members of the party to shun the meeting, the meeting, against all odds, held at the Idi-ishin residence of Chief Akinjide under tight security and it was well-attended. Notable Leaders and elders of the party in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos States were there.

In attendance were Chief Richard Akinjide(SAN), his daughter, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Minister of State, FCT, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, one of the leaders of the party in the zone, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, former Minister of Education, Dr. Saka Balogun, former Chief of Staff, former Deputy governors of the state, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja and Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi,Senator Bode Olajumoke, Chief Bode Olowoporoku, Chief Reuben Famuyibo, governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Tope Familuyi, Idris Balogun from Ondo, Femi Bamisile and many others.

When Vanguard called some of those who did not attend the meeting, some of them declared the meeting illegal.

High Chief Lekan Balogun said, “it was an illegal meeting. I was not invited. Even if I was invited, I would not have attended. He can’t call the PDP house to order”.

But, Elder Oyelese said the meeting was not convenient for him but confirmed that he was invited.

Before giving all the factions present at the meeting chance to release their bottled anger, Chief Akinjide appealed to them to sheathe their swords for peace to reign in the party and our country.

Akinjide said, “In Nigerian politics, Yoruba is a zone to reckon with. Why are we taking up arms against one another. What exactly is happening to us? If we call ourselves leaders, should we then be found in a demeaning position?”

“We all heard what the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said. If you read the newspapers today,(Saturday), he made some important comments. In essence, he is in support of the meeting we are doing here”.

Though, he did not mention any name, Akinjide supported Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on his  claims that there are some alleged criminals in the party.

He said, “If anybody says don’t come to this meeting, disregard him. Don’t trust those people. One of them is a drug addict, I mean the criminal elements who want to lead us. We won’t allow them”.

He explained why some of the other factions were not present.

According to him, invitations will be extended to others in subsequent meetings.

Reading the communique issued at the meeting, Prof. Adeniran stressed the need to reposition the national working committee of the party for greater effectiveness and impressive performance in order to ensure victories for the party in the south west.

He said further, “the imperative of reviewing the present membership of the NWC with a view to ensuring that all posts are filled in line with our party’s constitution and to ensure due process and due diligence”.

The delegates also called for the “appointment and inauguration of a caretaker committee for the South West PDP to fill the vacuum which presently exists in the zone until a proper zonal congress is held”

Also contained in the communique was the need to constitute a strong South West committee to anchor the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun States”.

They commended President Jonathan for his mature and courageous piloting of the ship of the Nigerian state, especially in the area of the handling the security challenges in the North East region.

The chieftains of the party used the forum to urge president Jonathan to run for a second term in 2015. “We are hundred per cent behind him as demonstrated in 2010 when the South West PDP was the first zone to endorse him as our presidential candidate”.

All those in attendance agreed unanimously that the resolution of the crises should be left in the hands of Chief Akinjide.

However, going by the stance of Senator Balogun and some other chieftains who want to remain silent for now, it is evident that the stormy cloud which hovers on the future of the party is yet to disappear.