A
former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, may have concluded
arrangements to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Labour Party
following a meeting with the National Chairman of the party, Chief Dan
Nwanyanwu in Abuja on Thursday to firm up the bid.
The
meeting, which held at the national headquarters of LP in Garki area of the
federal capital city, was said to have centred on the modalities that would be
used to accommodate Daniel and his supporters in the party. The former
governor, who was accompanied to the meeting by some of his aides, was
received at the party’s secretariat by the LP chairman.
Nwanyanwu
confirmed the meeting when contacted but declined to give details of what
transpired.
Daniel
has of recent been linked to three parties in Ogun state. While he was governor
for eight years under the platform of PDP, he was equally the promoter of the
Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN through which one of his associates, Gboyega
Isiaka contested the 2011 governorship election in Ogun State.
The
election was won by the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Isiaka,
who hails from Ogun West and still eyeing the next election, has reportedly
joined the LP in the state while another of Daniel’s associates, Sina Kawonishe
has also been mobilizing for the 2015 governorship election on the platform of
LP.
A
source at the meeting with Nwanyanwu disclosed that Daniel did not mince words
in his demand that the party cede its governorship ticket to him and his supporters
since he would be moving in with his structures in PDP and PPN.
To
make this possible, the former governor, who was said to have initiated the
meeting, also demanded that the present state executive committee of the party
be dissolved by LP’s national leadership so that his own supporters can find a
strong footing.
“The
governor did not mince words in his demands and the chairman was obviously not
comfortable having those two major requests as pre-conditions to join the
party”, the source added.
It
was reliably gathered that he would finally dump PDP for LP next month during
“a mother of all rallies in Ijebu-Ode’’. While also confirming the meeting, a
formal Commissioner for Information in the administration of ex-Governor
Daniel, Mr. Sina Kawonise said: “His Excellency, Otunba Gbenga Daniel indeed
visited the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Dan Iwunayanwu in Abuja.
“It
was a reciprocal visit to a long time friend and associates. In this period
when our leaders are looking for consensus around crucial national and local
issues, meeting between such political leaders is routine’’.
Tags
Politics