Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ogun are exploring the opportunity presented by the death of Buruji Kashamu, the major factor in the crisis that has rocked the party for the past 10 years for reconciliation and strengthening of the party ahead of the next general elections, AKANI ALAKA writes.
They embraced, shook hands, and laughed together like school children meeting on the first day of resumption from a long vacation.
But the people in various hues of local attires in the expansive hall were not pupils, but chieftains of Ogun State chapter of People’s Democratic Party, PDP some of whom are meeting each other for the first time in many years as a result of the struggle over the control of the party.
Their party, the PDP had taken over Ogun State in the tsunami that swept off the then Alliance for Democracy, AD governors off their seats with only Lagos spared in the 2003 general elections.
PDP’s candidate, Otunba Gbenga Daniel had defeated the AD governor, Olusegun Osoba with a ‘landslide’ 449,335 votes, nearly double of the ballot tally of the then incumbent who scored 231,982 votes.
Osoba cried foul, alleging that the election was rigged, but the courts endorsed Daniel’s victory.
PDP retained the governorship seat in 2007 in spite of the strong challenge from the then Action Congress.
From Landslide Victory to Crisis
However, with eyes on who will take over from Daniel, chieftains of the PDP began to fight for the soul of the party soon after the 2011 elections. The fight led to the division of the PDP into different camps with the Governor, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and now late Buruji Kashamu among others as major players.
The battle for the soul of the party continued even after it lost the 2011 governorship election to the then Action Congress. Ogun’s chapter of the PDP has remained in crisis since then with courts in the state and Abuja being asked at different times to determine the authentic executive of the party in the state.
Many chieftains of the party in Ogun had abandoned it as a result of the crisis and failure to make any significant impact in elections in the state over the years.
Buruji Kashamu, the Crisis Overlord
Arguably, at the vanguard of the crisis was Kashamu who died from COVID-19 complications last year.
The burly politician who was on the wanted list of the United States government for alleged involvement in drug deal had deployed his huge financial chest to keep a fraction of the party perpetually loyal to him.
He was also able to hire a collection of Senior Advocates who ensured that his faction was always victorious in the battle to determine the authentic executive for Ogun PDP at the courts and got himself chosen and elected as the Senator representing Ogun East.
In 2018, he was expelled from the party by the PDP NWC over alleged anti-party activities, but in another demonstration of his resilience, an Abuja High Court later voided the expulsion.
Ahead of the 2019 general election, the battle for the control of the structure of PDP in Ogun was between Kashamu and a member of the House of Representatives, Ladi Adebutu. Ladi, the son of businessman lottery magnate, Chief Kessington Adebutu, wanted to contest for the governorship of Ogun State.
His faction of the party had the support of Uche Secondus led National Working Committee of the PDP.
But Adebutu’s ambition did not materialize as Kashamu who nursed the same ambition was able to convince the court that the executive of his faction of the party should produce the governorship candidate for Ogun PDP. Kashamu got the party’s gubernatorial ticket but lost woefully in the election won by Dapo Abiodun of All Progressives Congress.
Indeed, the presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019 election could not campaign in Ogun because of the crisis over the leadership of the party in the state.
But Kashamu remained in control of the structure of the party until his death from coronavirus complications in August 2020.
Kashamu Supporters In Dire Straits
Aside bringing an end to the hefty fund that has kept them going, Kashamu’s death threw his supporters into confusion. Indeed, they soon split into two groups, with one faction suspending the other.
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In November 2020, a faction of Kashamu’s group suspended its state chairman, Samson Bamgbose, and five other executive members and appointed one Boladale Sanni as the Acting State Chairman.
But the Bamgbose group responded with the suspension of three members of the party and Sanni over alleged anti-party activities.
The ridiculous suspension and counter suspension among members of the faction continued even as the Ladi Adebutu faction, which has Sikirulahi Ogundele as its chairman continued to strengthen its grip on the chapter of PDP with the support of the Secondus-led NWC. For one, the Adebutu faction of the party was able to successfully take over the state party secretariat, with the now ‘castrated’ Kashamu camp unable to put up much resistance.
With their major oxygen in terms of finances cut off with the death of Kashamu, the infighting, the strengthening of the position of their rival, members of the faction were on the verge of slipping into irrelevance in Ogun State politics.
It was not a surprise, therefore, that they slowly began to abandon the recalcitrant attitude to consensus championed by their late benefactor and were more willing to reconcile with the other faction.
But they were not ready to be railroaded into any reconciliation effort willy-nilly. Hence, when the Senator Bukola Saraki-led PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee announced gleefully after its visit to Ogun that it has been able to end the over 10-year-long political feud between members of the party in the state, the faction wasted no time in disputing the claim.
The factional group in a statement signed by the acting publicity secretary, Ajayi Abayomi, admitted that the reconciliation effort was ongoing, but nothing has been agreed on yet. He, however, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to “truly equitable and genuine reconciliation thereby ending the age-long differences within the party in the state.”
But this newspaper also learned that the outcome of the April Southwest zonal congress in which members of the faction emerged winners of positions zoned to Ogun was another motivation for them to embrace the conciliatory efforts.
The Adebutu faction had aligned with former Governor Ayodele Fayose who was in contention with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State over the leadership of the party in the Southwest region. Makinde and his supporters, that included loyalists of Kashamu gained the upper hand, winning most of the positions contested during the congress. Members of the faction – Taiwo Shote, Monsuru Ola Kukoyi (a.k.a Kosigiri), Ogunse Omotoyosi, Olugbenga Idowu emerged as the National Ex-Officio representing Ogun State at the National Executive Committee (NEC), Zonal Legal Adviser, Zonal Treasurer and Zonal Ex-Officio respectively.
Eyes On 2023
This, it was gathered, gave members of the faction the belief that they are still a force to be reckoned with in Ogun PDP and set the stage for last Wednesday’s reconciliation meeting. Chieftains of the party present at the meeting include Chief Doyin Okupe, Adebutu, Aare Tunde Alabi among others. A key leader of the faction, Prince Segun Seriki led other loyalists of the late Kashamu to the meeting with loyalists of Adebutu.
He told journalists that his faction would now operate under Sikirullahi Ogundele-led executive of the PDP, thereby collapsing the executive of his own faction led by Bamgbose. He noted that the crisis among members had robbed PDP of the opportunity of returning to power since 2011 when the party was defeated upon expiration of Daniel’s tenure. He, therefore, called on party members to be committed to the reunion and work towards rebuilding the party for victory in the 2023 election.
Also speaking, Bamgbose applauded leaders of the party for achieving reconciliation of the warring factions, asking them and their supporters to be ready for the battle to unseat the ruling party in 2023. “We are going to the battlefront. We must be ready to win,” Bamgbose said.
In his own contribution, the ‘unified’ party Chairman, Sikirullahi Ogundele, said the reconciliation was the beginning of a new relationship that would pilot the party to power in 2023: “I am happy that the PDP of 2003 is now back. We are now together in harmony, looking forward to having a united PDP in Ogun State. We are going to get back our mandate from the misrule of the APC, a party that has no blueprint. They just wake up in the morning and embark on any project that comes to their head. They give water or road were not needed. The PDP is the best party so far and we are winning in 2023.” Okupe and Adebutu who also spoke harped on the need for unity among members of the PDP.
The APC has already responded, describing the boast of PDP to take over the governorship of Ogun State in 2023 as “daydreaming, infantile fancy and political grandstanding devoid of practical reality.”
The party, in a statement issued in Abeokuta and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, also described the reported unity of factions in the PDP as “a charade meant for photo-ops, camera lights and cheap publicity and also as a belated cry when the head was already off.”
But he added that it is too early to be talking about 2023: “Let me assure you that APC and Governor Dapo Abiodun will not be dragged into the 2023 electioneering yet. This is a government that will just be two years in office next month. We want our work to speak for us while the opposition continues to daydream and engage in shadow-boxing”, Oladunjoye said.
Aside such banters, analysts said the party will need to bring back some of the chieftains that have abandoned it over the years, like Daniel who has now defected to APC if it’s serious about making a serious impact in the future elections in Ogun State.
But analysts believe that with Kashamu and his disruptive big money out of the way, peace many have truly returned to Ogun PDP.
