The crisis rocking Ondo state chapter of People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
has yesterday take a dangerous turn
with threats of decamping to opposition been the talk of the town.
According to a report by THISDAY, mass defections may soon hit the party
in Ese-Odo Local Government Area, which is the Ijaw-speaking area of the state,
following the rejection by political leaders from the area of the choice of the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP.
Recall that PDP had submitted the name of a former
Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. John Mafo, as Jegede’s running
mate.
However, the threat of mass defection from the PDP to the All Progressives
Congress (APC) was contained in a statement signed by a PDP leader from
Ese-Odo, Hon. Sunday Tundigha, on behalf of aggrieved Ese-Odo PDP Leaders’
Forum.
The statement faulted the emergence of Mafo, saying it “defied all known
logic and political justice”.
Ese-Odo Local Government Area is a PDP stronghold and accounted for over
60 per cent of votes the party garnered in the 2015 general election.
“Our local government is the only Ijaw-speaking local government area
and delivered thousands of votes for the PDP in the last presidential and
National Assembly elections with over 90 per cent of the votes cast in the
local government area.
“We were, however, surprised that the leadership of the party decided to
turn logic on its head by giving the deputy governorship slot to a local
government without any voting value for the PDP.
“This is more so that Alliance for
Democracy’s Olusola Oke is from the same local government area. This defies
logic and every known political justice.
“We are therefore giving Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the leadership of
the PDP 48 hours from now, to withdraw Mafo and replace him with an indigene of
Ese-Odo. Anything short of this will result in mass defection from the party.
“It is sad that an individual from Ese-Odo could sell out this golden
opportunity for our people just because of his future political ambitions. We will
resist this selfish and short-sighted political calculation,” he said.
According to Tundigha, the aggrieved leaders of the PDP had resolved to
work for the success of the APC candidate, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu.
“Between now and the expiration of the ultimatum, we have put all our
supporters on notice to mobilise for Chief Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC. This is
because his running mate, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, the ambassadorial nominee, Mr.
Sola Iji, as well as the Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for
Agriculture, Mr. Donald Ojogo, are distinguished sons of our local government,”
he added.
One of the deputy governorship hopefuls from Ese-Odo, prior to Mafo’s
emergence, Chief Pere Ganfo, had also warned that the PDP might face dire
electoral consequences over the decision it took against the Ijaw-speaking area
of the state.
“Honestly, since the announcement of Mafo, I have received several
complaints from our people who feel short changed, used and dumped. They are
unhappy because the party did not deem it needful to consider our current
electoral value to the PDP.
“It means we are not needed in the party. But as a party man, I have been trying
to assuage their feelings, trying to calm them but I doubt if I will continue
to have such capacity to do that, and you know what that means,” Ganfo said.
In a related development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has urged all Ijaws in the state to vote massively for
the APC in the coming election.
“The people of Ondo State are well informed and conscious of the fact
that the present administration in the state under Dr. Olusegun Mimiko had
impoverished the state long before now.
“The deceit and self-serving style of the governor and his cohorts must
be brought to an end and only a massive turnout for Akeredolu can rescue the
state from further impoverishment, hunger and directionless leadership.
“I believe all Ijaws in the state will key into this agenda that is
aimed at connecting the state to the centre,” he said.
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