After a long silence in the affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West, one of its chieftains, Chief Olabode George, appears to be steadily worming his way back to reckoning even as his opponents are kicking against his moves, reports Remi Adelowo
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, seems to have rediscovered his swagger in recent times.
For about two years after he served his jail term at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons in Lagos, following his conviction by a Lagos High Court for abuse of office as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the retired Navy Commodore has not really been his usual boisterous self.
In between this period, his comments on his party, which are quite few and far between, are usually measured and subdued.
George’s stance, it was learnt, was a strategy to reintegrate himself back into the party and avoid unnecessary controversies.
That strategy seems to be paying off, if George’s recent activities in the party are anything to go by.
At the recent mid-term and reconcilition dinner hosted by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Banquet Hall inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, George, who was one of the party chieftains present, made his presence felt.
His vivacious mood was a sharp contrast to that of the former National Secretary of the PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who sat transfixed to his seat while the event lasted.
Several days later, during the meeting of the highest decision making organ of PDP, National Executive Council (NEC) held at its national headquarters in Abuja, sources disclosed that George played what was considered a masterstroke when he proposed that a vote of confidence be passed on President Goodluck Jonathan, a suggestion that was quickly approved by the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
However, the task of raising the motion was handed over to the former Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu.
The Nation gathered that the initial plan was for George to handle the task, but that was shelved for what our source called ‘obvious reasons’.
With this move, sources revealed that George further warmed his way into the hearts of the party leadership and the president.
Back in Lagos, the PDP chieftain quickly convened a meeting of his party stakeholders in the South West at his Ikoyi residence to deliberate on germane issues affecting the party in the South West zone.
Some of these issues include the gradual but steadily declining fortunes of the party in the zone; the intra-party crisis among key members and preparations for the 2015 general elections, to mention but a few.
Present at the closed-door meeting were members from all the South West states.
They include three former governors-Gbenga Daniel (Ogun) and Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo) and Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti). Others are former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe; member, PDP Board of Trustees, Alhaji Shuab Oyedokun; two former senators, Iyiola Omisore and Ayo Arise; a governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Dayo Adeyeye; the party’s Lagos governorship candidate in the 2011 general electons, Dr. Ade Dosunmu, amongst others.
At the end of the almost three-hour meeting, some of the resolutions reached include the urgent need to start preparations for the 2014 governorship elections coming up in Ekiti and Osun States respectively; nomination of two candidates that would be elected into the positions of the National Secretary and National Auditor, hitherto occupied by Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Bode Mustapha respectively at the next mini-convention of the party.
The meeting also reached a consensus that more subtle and concerted pressure be put on the president to appoint more indigenes of the South West into key federal appointments.
Those present at the meeting, according to sources, were allegedly of the opinion that one of the major reasons why the PDP has suffered in the South West is the lack of federal patronage for members. Appointment of PDP members to strategic federal positions, they reasoned, will correct this anomaly.
Expectedly, it was not long before the meeting convened by George began to attract crticisms from other stakeholders in the party.
First to react was the interim National Vice Chairman of the party in the South West, Chief Ishola Filani, who reportedly questioned George’s locus standi to call the meeting without his (Filani’s) approval.
Sources revealed that so peeved was Filani by George’s action that he allegedly considered making a formal report on the issue to the party’s National Chairman, but was prevailed upon to stay action following hints he received that George may not have acted without the tacit support of the national leadership of the party and the Presidency.
The Nation gathered that Filani’s fear stemmed from the fact that George may take over the control of the party in the South West and render him virtually irrelevant in the scheme of things.
But from all indications, Filani may eventually lose out in the battle for the control of South West with George.
Findings revealed most prominent members of the party in the zone have refused to defer to Filani’s authority based on the premise that he lacks the stature to lead and pull the party together at this critical period.
Other sources revealed that these members are also aware of George’s closeness with the powers-that-be, a factor they reckon will come in handy in the fulfilment of their political ambition in the next dispensation.
A pointer to this notion is the presence of Adeyeye, Dosunmu and Omisore, all of whom will be contesting for the PDP governorship tickets in Ekiti, Lagos and Osun states respectively at the meeting hosted by George a few weeks ago.
For Gbenga Daniel and Akala, who were also at the meeting, there are also strong indications that they are warming up to contest for the Senate in their respective states in 2015.
In the case of a former Minister of Sports, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, who was also visible at the meeting, his name is being bandied as a contender for the position of the PDP National Secretary, which is currently vacant.
But not all PDP stakeholders in the South West are ready to bow to George’s leadership willynilly.
Some of these people are members loyal to ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who appears to have lost out in the power game in the party.
The likes of Oyinlola, former National Vice Chairman of the party in the South West, Engr. Olusegun Oni and the party’s governorship candidate in the 2007 general elections, Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro, were believed to have shunned the meeting at George’s residence apparently in solidarity with Obasanjo.
Another source however revealed that George’s recent activities in the party may be a clever ploy to preempt an alleged plan by the Presidency to handover the structures of the PDP to the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko.
Though a member of the Labour Party (LP), Mimiko’s closeness to the Presidency has fuelled speculations in the last few months that he is being prevailed upon to return to PDP and spearhead the president’s alleged re-election campaign in the South West.
Within the president’s kitchen cabinet, sources disclosed that majority of the members are in support of the ‘Bring Mimiko back to PDP’ project.
Their argument is that George has a moral burden hanging on his neck; a factor they believe could negatively affect the fortunes of the party at the polls.
But in the meantime, Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George appears to be back in charge of South West PDP. How long this would last remains a matter for conjecture.
