‘Obasanjo Yet To Tell Us To Defect To APC’

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State yesterday said that they are yet to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). Chieftains of the faction said that Obasanjo had not issued any directive to them to move over to the ruling APC in the state, and so would remain in the PDP. Recently, some loyalists of the former president, including the former state chairman of the Obasanjo faction of the party, Senator Oladipo Odujinrin and sacked PDP national auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha defected to the APC in Ogun and even participated in its ongoing congresses. But while addressing newsmen on behalf of the leaders of the Obasanjo faction who met under the aegis of the Ogun PDP Mainstream, former state chairman of the party, Chief Joju Fadairo said that selected leaders of the party met and resolved to remain in the PDP. Fadairo also said that all the factions of the party would work together to ensure the success of the party in the state in the 2015 elections. He said: “You would have heard that they said the mainstream people who are in Baba’s (Obasanjo’s) camp had gone to APC. We have not gone to APC. Baba did not say go to APC. Baba is in PDP and we want to disabuse the minds of the people who are saying people who are with Obasanjo mainstream have gone to APC. That is the essence of this meeting.” “All our members are here, those who have defected, I don’t know about them. We are adults and this is a democracy and anybody who wants to pitch camp with any party should do so. “But for clarity purpose, we called this meeting and we are saying we in mainstream are still in the PDP. We have said that there is a committee that is set up so that we can talk to all concerned and make our party solid.” He however added that the Obasanjo faction had set up a reconciliation committee which would meet with the other PDP groups in the state and submit its report to the leadership within the next seven days. On the resolution of their meeting, Fadairo said, “We in PDP mainstream met today and we resolved as follows: That selected leaders from the three senatorial district of Ogun State met today. “We resolved that we all remain in the PDP and we’ll work together to ensure the success of the party in the state. “We therefore resolved to ensure that all factions of the party in the state should fuse together for strength. Therefore, we request the national body of our party to intervene and do the needful. “A reconciliation committee to work with the other factions was set up and will work immediately and report back to the house within the next seven days. “We affirm our unflinching support for the leadership of our party in person of Alhaji Muazu and President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR. “We also affirm that we remain in PDP and will continue to work for the unity and success of the party come 2015. Our correspondent however gathered that amongst the issues discussed at the meeting of the Obasanjo PDP faction were the review of the Buruji Kashamu-led group and the former governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s involvement in the Labour Party. Amongst the other chieftains of the Obasanjo faction present at the meeting include Chief Okanlawon Soboyede, Chief Wale Egunleti, Asiwaju Jide Awosedo, Asiwaju Tony Ojesina, Asiwaju Yemi Oluyomi, Engineer Tetede, Hon. Job Akintan and Hon. Abiodun Akovoyan. «