DARE ADEKANMBI speaks with the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Honourable Sikirulai Ogundele, on the disunity in the party. He says the party is formidable in the state and is ready to dislodge the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), among other issues.
WHEN is the crisis in Ogun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) going to be finally resolved and all the camps, including that of Senator Buruji Kashamu, in the same fold?
God has permanently put a stop to the crisis of PDP in Ogun State. Ninety per cent of those in Kashamu faction are part and parcel of the party in the state today. When I emerged as the state chairman, I promised to run a united, all-inclusive administration. To God be the glory today, we have 90 per cent of Kashamu’s people with us. Of those in Dimeji Bankole’s faction, over 80 per cent of them are with us. So, we are working on the remaining members of those groups. I don’t see them as factions, but as groups. The judgment of the Supreme Court has put an end to factions. There might be misunderstanding which, I think will be resolved since we are putting in effort to get it settled. In Ogun State today, I can confidently tell you that there is no crisis in the party. The disagreement we had is getting resolved as we speak.
Kashamu wrote a letter to INEC calling the commission’s attention to a judgment in favour of its group and asking the umpire to wary about whom it deals with as far as Ogun PDP leadership in concerned. This shows he is still not satisfied, despite the efforts you talked about.
We had another judgment from the court of same jurisdiction. We all know what led to the dissolution of PDP executives in nine contentious state chapters, including Ogun State. The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee took cognizance of the provisions of the constitution of the party and did all that should be done and recommended the dissolution of all contentious executives in the nine states. The national convention, which is the highest decision-making organ of the party, dissolved the state chapters. Following this, days were set for fresh congresses and all factions or groups were asked to mobilise their supporters from wards, local government councils and to state. We had all the congresses and INEC, security personnel and delegate committees from Abuja did the congresses and party officers emerged from the exercises.
The recent letter by Kashamu to INEC was the ninth letter he would write to the commission and INEC has replied him, telling him that a section of the Supreme Court judgment nullified all earlier judgments on PDP. That Supreme Court judgment gave Markafi committee the power to do and undo. This led to the dissolution of the nine contentious state chapters. We all went to the well supervised congresses and officers emerged. All reasonable politicians know that what Kashamu is bringing up now, he has motives for his action. Kashamu has always been known to be working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). There is no crisis in Ogun PDP. Those who have found themselves outside the party today are disgruntled members.
Can Ogun PDP, as presently constituted, face the APC in 2019 elections without Kashamu who is perceived to be strong joining forces with you?
Kashamu has never been a strong member of our party. If you look at the results of the senatorial election that produced him as a Senator for Ogun East district, he lost in all the six local government councils of Ijebu by 26,000 votes. It was the big margin votes that came from Remo Federal Constituency which produced Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu that made Kashamu a Senator. Google his name and you will see the personality we are talking about.
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