By Ndubuisi Orji

In recent times, the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the South West have not hidden their desire to produce the next national chairman of the party. But that desire may just remain a dream as the leaders of the party are no longer in one accord on the project.

Indications that there is a crack within the South West PDP on its quest to produce the next national chairman of the party, emerged recently  when  the senator representing Ogun East senatorial district led some leaders of the party  on a  solidarity visit to the national chairman of the  party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The delegation which consisted of the party’s zonal chairman, Makanjuola Ogundipe  told the National Chairman that  the North should  retain the chairmanship of the party.

The party’s convention where a new National Working Committee(NWC) would be elected  is scheduled for May 21. Already, a committee has been put in place to come up with a zoning formula for the offices in the NWC.

Prior to the visit of  the Kashamu delegation, the South West was the only zone that openly declared interest in the national chairmanship seat. Former Deputy National Chairman (South), Olabode George is tipped to contest for the plum office. Already, the party had said it would cede its presidential ticket to the North in the 2019 general election.

Based on the party’s decision that its presidential candidate in 2019 would be a northerner, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose  kick-started the campaign for the South West to produce the next national chairman of the PDP.

In a statement issued late last year by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Lere Olayinka, the Ekiti governor had declared that producing a national chairman from the zone was not negotiable, as anything to the contrary would be unacceptable.

Consequently, he urged leaders of the South West geo-political zone to brace up to contest the position.

“Since the PDP will pick its presidential candidate from the North in 2019, the South West that has not produced the party’s National Chairman should take the position,” he said.

Expectedly, party chieftains in the South West started lobbying for the plum seat to be ceded to the zone in the zoning formula that is expected to be unveiled soon.

But the arrangement crumbled soon after it was mooted, no thanks to some PDP leaders from the zone who declared loudly that the zone was not interested in the position. Expectedly, the declaration has thrown spanner into the works of George and others interested in the seat from the zone.

A document that was reportedly signed by Kashamu, former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, state chairmen of the party in the zone and 30 others, which was presented to Sheriff, had argued that since the PDP has 10 governors in the South and only two in the North, allowing the South to produce the national chairman would make the party assume the toga of a regional party.

However, that position has been trailed by controversy across the zone as many party top shots have condemned and disowned the proposal.

Former Acting National Secretary of the PDP,  Dr.   Remi Akitoye  said those who  made the proposition were doing a disservice to the South West, as the zone  has earnestly craved for the position.

He said although those who made the pronouncement were party leaders in their own rights, but they cannot be said to have spoken for the party in the zone, noting that a decision on a serious issue that affects the zone could not have been taken without the knowledge of the known leaders of the party in the zone.

“If some caucus of the party went to Abuja to go and greet the new chairman, if some people gathered themselves for solidarity visit and start making  decisions that affect the whole of South West; if Bode George, if  Shuaib Oyedokun, if all other leaders were there, we will say oh, they have met on our behalf.  Not just some persons.

“South-West has not produced the national chairman of the party in the 16 years of PDP, and this is the auspicious time for us to assume the position and some members from the zone would hold a contrary view.

“It is unfortunate that while we are putting our house in order to get the chairmanship position of the party, some people from the zone chose to work against the party’s interest. Their plans shall not stand as the zone is on ground for the party chair as first step to bring back the glory of the party ” ,he said.

Also,  former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope told Daily Sun that those members of the party who said the South West was no longer interested in the PDP national chairmanship spoke for themselves.

The PDP leader said even though the state chairmen from the zone were said to have been part of the Abuja delegation, they didn’t speak for the party in the zone.

Babatope said if any zone in the country deserves to produce the next national chairman of the party, then it is the South West. He noted that the zone has contributed meaningfully to the development of the party. Consequently, it is uncalled for, for any person or group to deny the zone of the position.

Similarly, Chairman, Lagos Collectives, Professor Tejumade Akitoye – Rhodes dismissed the proposition that the South West was not interested in the national chairmanship of the PDP as “illogical and absurd.”

In a statement, Akitoye-Rhodes noted: “it is absolute nonsense and irredeemably outrageous. This does not in any way represent the position or the will of the Yoruba people.

“As a matter of fact, the whole blatant spectacle of the subversion of the right of the Yoruba people was financed, promoted, and brazenly organized by Mr Buruji Kashamu.”

Undaunted by the controversy trailing the proposal,  Kashamu  said it was the opinion of the delegation, and not his personal opinion. In a statement issued last weekend, he said their proposal does not foreclose other opinions from the zone on the issue.

The Ogun senator said any person or group that has a contrary opinion is free to push their own suggestion.

“On our proposal that the National Chairmanship of the party should remain in the North, I wish to state that it was the opinion of the delegation. We were and are still of the view that given the strong presence of the PDP in the South, with 10 governors out of 17 governors in the South and just two governors in the 19 states in the North, it would make more sense to leave the National Chairmanship of the party in the North, so as not to be branded a regional party.

“Our view does not foreclose any other opinion or suggestion. If some other persons have any other idea, they are at liberty to push it. At the end of the day, it is either superior argument wins or we go to the convention. For us, as true party men, whatever is best for our party and majority of the stakeholders is all we want,” Kashamu stated.

However, a source, who was part of the delegation demurs. He told Daily Sun that when the party leaders left for Abuja, their mission was to pay a solidarity visit to Sheriff, but that unfortunately, when they got to the party secretariat, they were shocked by the pronouncement on the national chairmanship seat.

“When we got there, there was already a prepared speech. The next thing they said was that the South West did not want the national chairmanship. That the national chairmanship should remain in the North.  Lagos refused to sign. I think Oyo too did not sign. But I am not sure.

“It was too hasty to begin to declare support for the North. It has always been the wish of the South West that the national chairmanship should be ceded to the zone. What they have done is selling our birth right,” the source declared.

To consolidate its position, the Kashamu group held a stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan last week, where the group reiterated its opposition to the South West  producing the next national chairman of the party.

Speaking at the meeting, which had some party big wigs in attendance, Ogundipe  reportedly said that   “ it is unfair to the masses of the South-West for anyone to insinuate that our position in canvassing that the National Chairman of our great party should come from the North amounts to pushing away good things coming to the region”, he said.

The Vice Chairman further noted that over 70 percent of the functional leaders of the zone, under the leadership of the zonal chairman, arrived at the decision to allow the North retain the position of National Chairman of the party.

“It should be noted that the South-West had the Presidency for eight years as well as Speaker of the House of Representatives for four years; these positions are more influential than the chairmanship of the party, which some now argue must be given to the South-West because no one from the region has ever served as National Chairman.”

However, it is curious that Fayose, who started the crusade for the South West to have a shot at the PDP top job, has not openly stated his position in the controversy on whether or not the position should remain in the North. Also, the other PDP governor in the zone, Segun Mimiko of Ondo State has  equally not declared his  position in the controversy.

But the PDP Rescue Group, a pressure group within the party, in a recent statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Amb. Wilberforce Juta and Secretary, Mr. Muktar Shagari kicked against the North retaining the national chairmanship of the party.

The group said  since a committee headed by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu  had recommended that the North should produce the PDP  presidential candidate  in  2019,  the South should produce  the national chairmanship in line with the zoning principle  of the party.

As the party prepares for its national convention, there is no doubt that the two divisions in the jostle for which zone produces the next national chairman of the PDP would step up their games.  The party’s ability to manage the issue effectively will have a great impact in its quest to rediscover itself.