The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Southwest

  • PDP chair: Sheriff intensifies lobby as Southwest group threatens defection

    PDP chair: Sheriff intensifies lobby as Southwest group threatens defection

    Overwhelmed by opposition to his candidacy, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, yesterday  met with the former Chairman of Northern Governors Forum, ex-Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu.

    He urged Aliyu to prevail on some party leaders to take it easy on the opposition to his candidacy.

    The embattled PDP leader was shocked that the opposition against his return to office is more pronounced in the North.

    Sheriff arrived at Aliyu’s  Mandara Close, Aso Drive Abuja home at about 6.01pm and left before 7pm.

    He came in the company of a senator and three associates and thereafter entered into the inner recess of the mansion for a meeting with the ex-governor.

    A top source, who was  privy to the meeting, said: “Sheriff actually came to solicit for support from Aliyu and his group for his return as the PDP leader.

    “He assured the former governor that he is seeking the mandate to reorganise the PDP before the next election in order to defeat the All Progressives Congress(APC).

    “Sheriff is no doubt under pressure because of the gang-up against his desire to return to office on May 21. Most leaders of PDP from the North cannot understand why Sheriff will want to be National Chairman at a time the zone is seeking the party’s 2019 presidential ticket.

    “They see his ambition to lead the party as a spoiler’s game which will not help the North.”

    A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) said: “The fear of Sheriff’s candidacy is about his alleged presidential aspiration. Some PDP leaders are suspecting that Sheriff might transmute from party leadership to presidential candidacy.

    “Others see his desire to retain his seat beyond May 21 as a gross violation of the PDP zoning formula.  If Bamanga Tukur and Adamu Muazu from the Northeast have led PDP in the last three to four years, what is the rationale in giving the slot to another candidate from the Northeast?

    “Going by our zoning policy, it is the turn of the South to produce the next national chairman of PDP.  If Sheriff re-emerges, it might lead to the disintegration of PDP because many leaders will leave the party.”

    Also yesterday, former presidential spokesman Dr. Doyin Okupe, said the zoning of the PDP national chairman position to the North is injurious to the interest of the Southwest.

    He said the party has ignored the virtues of justice and equity, warning that the marginalisation of the zone might herald mass defection.

    Okupe reflected on the zoning controversy, chiding some Southwest chieftains, who he described as charlatans, for collaborating with top party leaders to relegate the zone to the background.

    In a statement titled: “PDP and the burden of justice and equity”, the former presidential aide alleged that the seed of misrepresentation was sowed by a group of political clowns and court jesters.”

    He noted that the Southwest PDP elders, led by the former National Deputy Chairman Chief Olabode George, have condemned the “traitors” during their recent summit in Lagos.

    He said the Southwest PDP has the intention of bidding for the position during the national convention.

    Okupe said: “ I want to state categorically, without any fear of equivocation, that we, the Yoruba from the Southwest, desire and demand the post of the national chairman at the next convention of the party.

    “The following are the past chairmen: Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Gemade, Audu ogbe, prince Ogbolafor, Dr Nwodo, Alhadji Baraje, dr Haliru Bello(Acting), Alhaji Bamangar Tukur, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, Prince Secondus(Acting),and Sen Sheriff.

    “In the last 18 years, there have been 11 chairmen from five geo-political zones. Only the Yoruba from the Southwest have been precluded from this exalted office.

    “In the interest of fairness, equity and justice, it is most compelling that the Yoruba  of the Southwest zone must be allowed to contest for this post at this coming National convention.”

    Okupe warned that any attempt to deny the Southwest the position could spell doom.

    He said: “Any attempt to do anything to the contrary, no matter the reason advanced cannot be acceptable. Failure for a Yoruba man to emerge as the national chairman can only mean two things: that there is a pervasive and concealed hatred for the Southwest in the PDP, or the PDP has very little or no regard for Yoruba interest as shown by the obvious cheating of the Southwest from the  position of the House of Representatives Speaker in 2011, which was neither rectified nor compensated for the whole of four years.”

    Okupe added: “The sad implication of the above is that, regrettably, many of us from the southwest may have to reconsider our membership of this great party we have  helped to nurture and supported through thick and thing, a party we have loved almost more than our very existence, and the party we have served with all our natural endowment, in victory and defeat.”

  • Southwest PDP backs zoning of chairman to North

    Southwest PDP backs zoning of chairman to North

    The Southwest Zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday threw its weight behind the proposal by some leaders in the zone to retain the position of the national chairman in the North.

    It argued at a stakeholders meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital yesterday, that the proposal would help PDP regain its strength in the North after a woeful outing in the 2015 elections.

    After listening to various leaders across the six states in the zone, the Zonal Chairman, Makanjuola Ogundipe, wrapped up the meeting by taking endorsements of participants and presented it as the position of the zone.

    According to Makanjuola, the proposal for the North to retain the national chairmanship does not necessarily translate to elongation of term for the incumbent, Alli Modu Sherrif.

    “It also does not forbid any other zone from showing interest in the position. No one person or group can deny any member the right to aspire to any office or vote and be voted for. We are in a democracy, not autocracy. We have canvassed our views. Let those with contrary opinions or positions put forward theirs. We need not abuse one another.” He said.

  • Southwest PDP in quandary over Sheriff

    Southwest PDP in quandary over Sheriff

    Ahead of the national convention scheduled for May 21, the Southwest Peoples Democratic (PDP) is divided over the tenure elongation being canvassed for the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, by the zonal party leadership. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the implications of the proposal on the party’s cohesion in the zone. 

    The proposal by the Southwest leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to cede the position of the national chairman to the north is generating ripples in the zone.

    When the National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu- Sheriff, he said the North should retain the position, ahead of the convention. He argued that, if the position comes to the South, it will resort in branding the PDP as a regional party.

    Those opposed to the proposal said it contradicted the party’s position to zone the presidency to the north in 2019. Based on this, they argued that the Southwest should produce the next national chairman, a position, it has not held since the PDP was founded in 1998.

    Analysts are of the view that the proposal was an orchestrated plot by some PDP governors to accommodate Sheriff in the forthcoming convention or seek tenure extension for him. To other observers, it is curious that the call came barely hours after Sheriff returned from the region and wondered whether the move is a tacit campaign for Sheriff.

    A PDP chieftain, who spoke in confidence, said the Ogundipe leadership has plunged the Southwest PDP into an avoidable crisis at a time the party is factionalised in the zone.

    He said: “I don’t know why our leaders would go to Abuja to tell the national chairman that the Southwest zone has agreed that the north should retain party chairmanship when such a sensitive matter has not been exhaustively discussed by the stakeholders let alone taking decision. The Ogundipe leadership has compromised the Southwest interest and the zoning arrangement on the sharing of party’s position.

    “Ogundipe and his co-travellers are acting a script prepared by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose towards achieving his political ambition in 2019. Fayose is eying the office of Vice President. His calculation is that if the Southwest produced the party’s national chairman, it will be impossible for him to emerge as the vice presidential candidate because the party will not zone the two key positions to the zone at a time.

    The source added: “You can see that the Southwest PDP leaders are after the personal interest of an individual and not the larger interest. I am not surprised Ogundipe is promoting Fayose’s political ambition ahead of 2019 because he came to office by the grace of the governor. Remember, Ogundipe’s predecessor, Ishola Filani, was removed from office through the combined efforts of Fayose and Senator Buruji Kashamu. So, you can see why the Ogundipe leadership would go to any length to compromise the interest of Southwest zone because of Fayose.

    “Another factor to be considered in this episode is the role Kashamu played in the victory of Fayose in the last governorship election in Ekiti State. Kashamu was one of the major financiers of Fayose’s campaigns. It was not surprising that the so called delegation led by Ogundipe told Sheriff to recognise Kashamu as leader of the party in the Southwest”.

    But, the former PDP Vice Chairman (Southwest) Chief Ishola Filani,  said retaining the chairmanship in the North will augur well for the party. According to him, there is no co-ordinating leadership for the PDP in the north.

    Filani said the party’s position in the region is precarious with only two states. “We need the north to come back to the PDP. We have to let them know they are wanted in the PDP. To that effect we should concede the party chairmanship to the north for now. Whosoever emerges becomes the rallying point for the north. It will encourage them that they are still part of the party.

    “Another reason why the PDP should retain chairmanship in the north is that the party should not be seen as a southern party. In the South, we can take care of ourselves. In the Southwest, we have two governors; the South-South, five governors and the South East, three governors. In the South, we are sophisticated enough to embrace and appreciate what the PDP stands for.

    “We lost the 2015 presidential election because we didn’t pick our candidate from the North. In 2019, we should pick our presidential candidate from the north, by then the party’s chairmanship will return to the South. With that everybody will have a sense of belonging.

    “The doctrine of necessity makes it apparent for us to pick our Chairman from the north for the survival of the party. It is an interim arrangement so that the north does not lie fallow. I am happy our leaders are now embracing the position I canvassed three or four months ago”.

    A member of the delegation who does not want his name in print, said: “we unanimously endorsed Senator Buruji Kashamu, as leader of the party in the zone. We chorused the recognition of Kashamu, as leader of the party in the Southwest. The leader of the delegation, Ogundipe while speaking on our behalf poured encomiums on Kashamu.”

    He said the original purpose of the meeting was just to express solidarity to Sheriff but not to jettison the legitimate demand of the zone. It was in the process of the meeting that some people started pushing the idea that Senator Sheriff should continue in office as National Chairman while Kashamu should be adopted as the Southwest leader of the party.

    The source said contrary to the allegation that Kashamu was the one that sponsored the idea, it was not true. “In all honesty, he was not comfortable with the development but there was nothing he could do in that situation,” said the source.

    Ogundipe was reported to have said about Kashamu: “There will be no Southwest PDP .without this man, even though we have two governors. Without Buruji in the Southwest, there is no PDP in Southwest. Hold him tight, he will assist you”.

    Reacting to the development, Chairman, Lagos State PDP, Captain Tunji Shelle (rtd), dismissed the proposal. “Ogundipe can’t speak for me; he can’t speak for Lagos State and the Southwest in general”.

    Shelle was surprised that Ogundipe told the national chairman that the proposal was endorsed by the Southwest. “But, I find it strange that the delegation claimed that after consultation with the major stakeholders in the zone, it was decided that the North should hold on to the office of the chairman. It is not true, he said.

    Shelle added: “The party has set up a committee to zone the party offices. It is the committee that would decide which offices go to what zone. No zone can decide on what positions it would get. Ogundipe can’t decide for the party.”

    The Chairman of Lagos Collectives of the PDP, Prof. Tejumade Akitoye-Rhodes, said it is a monumental shame for a few decrepit characters to claim that the Southwest was not interested in the office. He described the development as illogical and patently absurd. He said such a demand does not in any way represent the position or the will of the Yoruba people in the PDP.

    According to Prof. Akitoye-Rhodes, the Southwest is the only region that has not occupied the prime office of the National Chairman of our great party since PDP came into being in 1998. He added that the region would fight with all legitimate tools to ensure that justice was duly served in this crucial matter. He said the zone still parades eminent personalities and powerful evocative names like Chief Olabode George,  Alhaji Yekeen Adeojo, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Prof.Tunde Adeniran, Dr Saka Balogun, Dr Olu Alabi, Chief Martins Kuye, Chief Joju Fadairo, Senator Kofo Bucknor-Akerele, Dr Ogunkelu, Chief Onikepe Oshodi Governor Olusegun Mimiko and Governor Fayose, who have the capacity to lead.

    He cautioned Sheriff against the antics of some members who may be working towards a script against the collective interest of the party ahead of the convention and the 2019 elections.

    But, Kashamu in a statement said “the recent visit of a delegation of leaders of the PDP in the Southwest to the National Working Committee (NWC) was not done to choose or pronounce anyone as the leader of the PDP in the Southwest, rather it was to pledge our support for the Senator Ali Moddu-Sheriff-led NWC.

    “All that happened at the occasion was fortuitous. It is also true that people like to have a rallying point, and if some of our leaders and elders see me as a rallying point because of my generosity and empowerments activities over the years, I do not see why anyone should lose sleep over it. Leaders emerge naturally.”

    On the proposal that the National Chairmanship of the party should remain in the North, Kashamu said 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, what is best for our party and majority of the stakeholders is all we want”.

    Analysts are of the view that there was no consultation to carry along the stake holders in the zone, hence, the sharp disagreement among members. A member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Ebenezer Babatope said it was an aberration for any right thinking member belonging to the Southwest Zone of the PDP to speak in contrary tone to the popular demand and worst still for such people to go ahead parading their views as if they were representing anybody.

    According to him, whosoever says the Southwest is not ready for the position of the national chairman of the PDP now is not only speaking for himself but contrary to a popular demand from the zone. He noted that since the party has agreed to zone the presidency to the north in 2019, which of course is normal in this circumstance, it is imperative to zone the National Chairman to the Southwest.

    Youth activist Kunle Olajire cautioned the leaders against imposing Kashamu as the Southwest leader. He recalled that it was his imposition that forced Obasanjo and his supporters out of the PDP. “Obasanjo felt slighted that Kashamu was elevated to such a position in the Southwest. That alone contributed to the party’s abysmal performance in the region during the last general elections”.

    Olajire said: “I don’t believe that our leaders will trade off the legitimate demand of the Southwest because they know such a plot won’t work. What the Southwest is saying is, giving the national chairman to the South now would alienate a lot of northern leaders from the party.

    “So, the proposal is to leave the national chairman in the North, ahead of 2019. We can then do a mid-term convention, probably in 2018, and take the position to the South,” he concluded.

  • Southwest states begin exploration of solid minerals

    Southwest states begin exploration of solid minerals

    In a move to plug the shortfall in federal allocation which has rendered many state governments incapacitated, the six states in Southwest Nigeria have commenced cooperation on exploration of solid minerals in the region.

    Representatives of the states gathered at the Cocoa House, Ibadan yesterday to develop a model on how best to explore the several solid minerals in their states to generate revenue, create employment and create more wealth for the people of the region.

    They gathered on the platform of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission which organized the roundtable.

    Analyzing the solid mineral deposits across the region and how best to explore them for the development of the region, the facilitator, Prof. Gbenga Okunlola, identified at least, 10 mineral deposits of commercial value which the region can explore.

    The several mineral deposits, according to Okunlola include gold, tar sand, glass sand, construction sand, clay, oil and gas, limestone, granite, phosphate, gypsum, bitumen and silimanite. Others are dimension stone, gemstone, marble, aquamarine, tantalic, feldspar, tourmaline, emerald, quartz, syenite and topaz.

    In his presentation entitled: “Strategic Engagement Document for Repositioning the Solid Minerals Sector in South West Nigeria,” Okunlola, who is a professor of Geology at the University of Ibadan, urged the region to develop a model to explore the minerals with a view to repositioning Southwest for self-sustenance.

    He identified obstacles to the idea to include lack of funding, lack of clear-cut optimization model, misplacement and underutilization of capacity and lack of regional cooperation.

    But he challenged the state governments to embrace regional model of intervention. If undertaken, Okunlola pointed out that the move will translate to establishment of exploration and mining companies, enable government enter into joint ventures with miners, adding that it will allow states share the risks and achieve better results.

    The expert urged states to look away from the clamour for amendment of the solid minerals law to enable states acquire licence, saying only regional cooperation and stability are needed in the sector to attract investors into the sector for regional development.

    The Director General of the commission, Mr Dipo Famakinwa, said the effort has become pertinent in view of the dwindling oil revenue.

    He said:  “We really don’t have a choice than to continue to see how we can move together to optimize the resources within our region. But the political will and the required coalition to move on and many of those things need to be put together.”

  • Southwest doctors to begin solidarity strike

    Doctors in the South West have threatened to go on strike, if the Osun State government fails to address the plight of their colleagues within two weeks.

    The Chairman of the South West caucus of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Adenike Odewabi, said this at a briefing in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

    According to Odewabi, doctors in the zone will carry out “systematic solidarity action” and public protests in the zone’s six states in solidarity with their colleagues.

    She said doctors in the Osun State public service have not been paid for six months.

    “We, the entire South West Caucus of the NMA, have observed the recalcitrant posture of the Osun State government.

    “We will not hesitate to invoke all that is necessary within the ambit of the law to defend our colleagues in the state in challenging the affront on our noble profession and innocent citizens of the state.”

    Odewabi claimed that Osun doctors are not being paid the “correct” salary and made to pay higher taxes than their colleagues.

    “I wish to bring to your notice that doctors in Osun have not been paid since October 2015.

    “This is an act that is not only viciously wicked but “capitally” condemned,” she said.

    The NMA urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the situation.

    The association appealed to other governors in the zone to prevail on Governor Rauf Aregbesola to give doctors their dues.

  • Southwest PDP torn apart by crises

    Southwest PDP torn apart by crises

    The Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been grappling with crises fuelled by stiff competition for the control of the party structure. The state chapters are in chaos, owing to the absence of a strong crisis resolution mechanism. LEKE SALAUDEEN examines how internal strife has hampered the party’s prospect in the zone.

    For almost 10 years, the Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been embroiled in intractable crises. The party is factionalised across the six states in the zone. It went into last year’s general elections as a divided house. The result was its dismal performance in the zone. Before the elections, party leaders tried in vain to resolve the crises.

    Ten months after the election, the party in turmoil. The reason being that the “Abuja oxygen” that used to provide a lifeline for the party has been deflated, following the exit of former President Goodluck Jonathan from the seat of power. When he was in office, Dr. Jonathan always mediated in the crises in the Southwest.

    Besides, its major financier, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has decided to lie low on political matters affecting the zone since his extradition issue started. He has been very careful in his actions, so as not to be seen as being confrontational by the Federal Government.  Kashamu has not been vocal as he used to be before the general elections.

    The acrimony climaxed when the former National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,  appointed the financier as the Chairman, Zonal Contact and Mobilisation Committee. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whose leadership the PDP rose to prominence in the Southwest lost control over the party machinery even in his native Ogun State. Under Obasanjo, the PDP won in five out of six states in the Southwest. Analysts believe that the imposition of Kashamu was intended to spite the former President and reduce his political influence in the zone. Obasanjo vowed not to recognise Kashamu who was allegedly wanted in the United States for drug offences. Initially, he withdrew from the affairs of the party and subsequently resigned his membership by tearing his membership card in public.

    Prior to the development, chieftains from the six state chapters converged on Osogbo, Osun State capital, in 2012 for the zonal congress. It was learnt that aggrieved stalwarts were bent on whittling down Obasanjo’s influence on the party. A faction of the PDP from Ogun State led by Kashamu alleged exclusion from the exercise. The aggrieved members, who claimed they were denied participation, went to court to challenge the validity of the congress. The court ruled that it was wrong to exclude the Kashamu group. Therefore, the court nullified the congress and ordered that a new congress should hold in the Southwest. The judgment provided a caveat for the Bamanga Tukur-led National Executive Committee to disband the Southwest executive  and remove Obasanjo’s men,  including Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who was the PDP National Secretary from the National Executive Committee. To date, the Southwest Congress has not been held.

    Since then, efforts to resolve the crises have not been successful, given the division within the ranks of party leaders. The divergent interests prompted the national headquarters to set up the integration committee headed by the former Senate President, David Mark, to bring warring factions together, in the build up towards the general elections.

    With the exit of Obasanjo and his supporters, the party still remained polarised. The discontent is such that virtually all state chapters are grappling with crises. The internal struggle for political offices, particularly the squabble over the party’s governorship tickets last year, had created more divisions in the fold. Below is the state of the PDP in each state that makes up the Southwest.

     

    Lagos

     The crisis in Lagos State chapter is deep. The warring factions are not prepared to sheath their swords. The Musiliu Obanikoro group and the Chief Bode George camp are still at logger heads. The last year’s governorship primary provided another opportunity for the two groups to rekindle the fight over the party’s soul. Ahead of the exercise, there was tension in the troubled chapter. George, who had the support of former President Jonathan, drafted Mr Jimi Agbaje to contest against Obanikoro  for the party’s ticket.

    The bitter struggle underscored the personality crisis and ego war between Obanikoro and George. The former Minister of State for Defence said George was his rival at the primary and not Agbaje, who he described as a foreigner in the chapter. Obanikoro boasted he would win the primary without George’s support. The exercise was held amid fire exchange and stone throwing by the supporters of the two leading candidates. Agbaje was declared winner. Obanikoro rejected the result, which he said was manipulated by George and other party leaders in favour of Agbaje. Obanikoro engaged in a war of words with Agbaje and George. He also sued the party for failing to address a petition he wrote over the conduct of the primary.

    The controversy was resolved with the intervention of Jonathan. Obanikoro was compensated with ministerial appointment to restore peace in the Lagos chapter, ahead of the elections. Analysts described the reconciliation as a mere window dressing because Obanikoro supporters had vowed not to vote for Agbaje. The threat was real as neither Obanikoro nor his supporters attended Agbaje’s campaign rallies. Agbaje lost the election.

    The post-election crisis manifested when the Chairman, Mr Tunji Shelle, was sacked by 34 members of the State Working Committee. He was replaced by Mr Kamaldeen Olorunoje. The executive members suspected to be Obanikoro’s loyalists accused Shelle of mismanaging election campaign funds and manipulating the primary, which ultimately led to the defeat of the PDP at the polls. The PDP secretary, Alhaji Wahab Owokoniran, said the decision was arrived to protest the way the party was being run. He said: “We members of exco have all agreed that the way the way the party is being run should not be allowed. There is need for restructuring. If we want restructuring, there is no way the chairman can continue in office.

    But, Shelle, who is believed to be Gerge’s protégée, described the sack as null and void. The party leadership described Shelle’s purported sack as “laughable, null and void”. It called on the members to discountenance the sack while also admonishing the brains behind the preposterous action to retrace their steps and allow peace to reign in the party. There are two executives in the Lagos PDP.

     

    Oyo

     In Oyo State, the intra-party crisis is very pronounced. The party leaders have not been able to resolve the dispute, which cropped up before, during and after last year’s general elections. The supporters of the governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, are bitter with the role played by prominent leaders of the party. It was alleged that they worked against the party, which, according to them, was responsible for Folarin’s defeat at the poll. They insisted, such people should be suspended from the party.

    Immediately after the election, leaders suspected to be involved in anti-party activities, including former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and Chief Saka Balogun, former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and their supporters, were suspended. A PDP chieftain, Chief Yekini Adeojo,  led the campaign for the suspension. At a meeting chaired by Adeojo , Akinjide and Balogun were suspended without being given the opportunity to defend themselves. The aggrieved members faulted their suspension, claiming that those who suspended them had no right to do so. They argued that no panel found them guilty of the offence they were alleged to have committed. The issue has further divided the party.

    The party was in deep crisis before the election over the governorship primary that produced Folarin. It led to exit of Alao Akala and Seyi Makinde, who contested the governorship election on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) respectively.

    Ahead of the elections,  former Minister of Power and Steel Elder Wale Oyelese said the party was sharply divided.  He said: “As things are now in the state, the PDP has four groups. The groups are championed by former Governor Alao-Akala,  Ms Akinjide, Senator Folarin and the neutral group led by me”.

     

    Ogun

     The fight over the soul of the party in Ogun State is between the Mandate Group led by Kashamu and and the Jubril Kuye Martins-Kuye (JMK) faction. The JMK camp backed the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, governorship ticket. The group also called for the dissolution of the party executive, which was installed by Kashamu. The Mandate Group, on the other hand, accused the JMK of anti-party activities in a petition submitted to the David Mark Integration Committee. It drew the attention of the committee “to the activities of the members of JMK Group who are moving around to decive the panel to do their bidding in order to satisfy their selfish interests.”

    The Mandate Group stated further: “This late hour scheme is meant to cause a fresh round of crises after the party has been stabilised and it is now functioning very well. We wish to state that this is not the time for anyone to start using the names of the President, the Senate President and/ the National Chairman to cause disaffection and further any selfish interest.

    “Even, if they want to foist the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole on the party and give him automatic ticket for the governorship election, they should not throw away the baby with bath water. Any attempt to do so will cause more grievous harm than it was meant to resolve.”

    It reminded those behind “Dimeji Bankole Must Be Governor” campaign that it was the same Bankole, who lost his re-election bid for the Abeokuta South Federal Constituency which is made up of just only one local government.

    Dr. Jonathan had endorsed Bankole, a development that didn’t go down well with Kashamu, the sole financier of the chapter. A source recalled that Kashamu had warned Bankole to go through normal process to realise his ambition.

    Amidst this controversy, former Governor Gbenga Daniel returned from the Labour Party to the PDP. It was a source of worry for the state chapter. Jonathan and former National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu facilitated his return. The duo prevailed on Daniel to collapse the LP structure into the PDP, to strengthen it for the general elections. The development did not go down well with Kashamu. It would be recalled that Daniel was stampeded out of the PDP when Kashamu took over the party’s structure.

    The old rivalry between the two gladiators was rekindled. Their personal ambition nearly rocked the party’s boat, ahead of the general elections. Daniel was interested in the Ogun East Senatorial ticket, which had been reserved for Kashamu. However, a deal was struck. While Kashamu was given the senatorial ticket, Daniel was allowed to produce the governorship candidate. Kashamu won, but Daniel’s lackey, Gboyega Isiaka, lost the governorship election.

    Daniel seems to have lost out in the party. But, his group is strategising to take over the party structure in next month, when the state congress is expected to hold.

     

    Ondo

     The defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko from the Labour Party has destabilised theparty. The fear that the national leadership of the PDP would hand over the party structure to Mimiko has become a reality. The state executive of the party was dissolved. The old members are not happy with this development. All entreaties to make the national headquarters reverse the decision fell on deaf ears. It marked the beginning of mass defection of PDP members to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    More disturbing was the dissolution of the state executive and the setting up of a caretaker committee by the National Working Committee (NWC) without the knowledge of the state executive members. The caretaker committee members were cronies of Mimiko. In its reaction to the dissolution, the state executive said: “To say the least, this action is a clear intention that those we expect to safeguard the interest of the party are intent on beheading it. We also consider this action a disappointment, particularly in view of the fact there is a subsisting court order, baring the NWC from taking this action. We want to remind Abuja that it is by choice that we are party members and that the party is not a prison yard where we are inmates who are bereft of liberties and rights”.

    A chieftain, Benson Enikuomehin, predicted that the NWC action would mar the chances of Jonathan and the PDP in Ondo State in last year’s general elections. His prediction became real; Jonathan lost in Ondo and the PDP also lost federal seats in the election.

    Prominent members of the PDP in Ondo that have dumped the party include former Deputy  Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, former PDP National Legal Adviser, Chief Nathaniel Oke (SAN) and Chief Isaac Kekemeke who is now the state Chairman of the APC. They also include former commissioners, special advisers, legislators, council chairmen and councillors.

    A woman activist, Mrs Idowu Aribisala, described the entry of Mimiko into the PDP as a great misfortune for the party. We foresaw what is happening now, we warned Abuja against the likely consequences.  She said: “We know Mimiko very well. He is not a team player. He prefers to surround himself with cronies. The result of the last general elections is just a tip of an iceberg.  The governorship election holding this year will prove to you that the PDP is dead in Ondo State. Tell me how many credible politicians are in the PDP today? They have all left because we in Ondo have realised that the party does not have the interest of the people at heart.”

     

    Ekiti

     The governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, runs the party like a sole administrator. Whatever he says is final. He unilaterally picked candidates for the state and National Assembly elections. To justify his action, he said as the leader of the party, he is in a better position to decide who is qualified for positions.

    Since he emerged as governor in 2014, others who contested the governorship ticket with him have kept a distance from the party. Notable among them are former Police Affairs Minister Caleb Olubolade, Senator Ayo Arise and Senator Gbenga Aluko, who has defected to APC.

    Fayose was said to have masterminded the removal of the former Southwest PDP Caretaker Chairman, Chief Ishola Filani, from office. The removal of Filani, an indigene of Ekiti, according to party sources, was because Fayose prefered someone that would be loyal to him.

    Many PDP stalwarts and their supporters in Ekiti have dumped the party in protest against Fayose’s leadership style.

     

    Osun

     The crisis stirred by the governorship primary has not been resolved. Those who contested the ticket with Iyiola Omisore have not come to terms with him. The contestants who have distanced themselves from the party are Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, Hon. Wole Oke, and Chief Fatai Akinbade. They believe the process through which Omisore emerged as the candidate was not transparent.

    A party stalwart who spoke in confidence, said Omisore was imposed on the chapter by Abuja. “We told them that for the PDP to dislodge APC in the state, the party should field a non-controversial candidate. That is why some contestants were very bitter and doing things differently.

  • Why we’re leading in Southwest, by OSBC chief

    The management of Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) has said its emergence  as one of the top three broadcast stations in the Southwest by Mediafact Report is a result of its investments in technology, quality content and the commitment of the state government.

    Its Chairman, Hon. Kola Akanji and Director-General, Prince Adesoji Fadehan, said the station remains top advertisers’ choice as a result of consistent investment by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

    According to Akanji, the governor acquired modern equipment that have enhanced the station’s service delivery and reach.

    “The governor did not only invest in technical equipment but also approved and provided training, seminars and workshops for different categories of workers of the corporation. Without mincing words, the training has contributed to improved performance by the workers. With our state-of-the-art facilities and dedicated staff, advertisers request is attended to without any delay.

    “For your information, our corporation, OSBC remains the voice of the Southwest. It is no longer news that the independent report on media rating in Nigeria by media fact placed OSBC Radio 104.5F.M among the best three stations in  Southwest Nigeria which is our primary coverage area.’’

    Also, Fadehan said the relationship between OSBC and advertising agencies has remain cordial and has made it possible for the station to enjoy a reasonable share of the yearly advertising budget notwithstanding the media explosion being experienced in the media industry.

    He said the management and the state government have continued to upgrade the stations to compete favourably with others.

    “To whom much is given; much is expected. We on our part will not rest on our oars in ensuring that we reciprocate their kind gestures of the advertisers by continuously improving on the services we are rendering to you so as to sustain the mutual benefits derivable from our relationship,” he said.

    He however said advertising budget next year would shrink further but expressed optimism that OSBC would compete favourable for its own share of the ad money.

    He implored key players in advertising business to include OSBC channels in the advertising media planning. “We are optimistic that with your support we shall continue to remain in business,” he added.

  • George to Yuguda: 18 Southwest PDP elders got $1,666 each

    Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, yesterday, described former Minister of State, Finance, Bashir Yuguda, as a liar.

    Contrary to a report that Yuguda gave George N100 million as head of Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the party in the Southwest, the PDP chief said, in a statement, that there were 18 members in the committee and Yuguda only gave $30,000 (approximately $1,666 each) to the members for transportation, accommodation and feeding.

    George said: “My attention has been drawn to another mischievous and deliberately fraudulent claim that I collected N100 million from Bashir Yuguda, the former Minister of State for Finance. This is another blatant falsehood, stripped of any iota of truth.

    “This is yet again a depraved continuation of lynch mob journalism orchestrated by Sahara Reporters

    “The salient fact is that very early this year, long before the election period, the party (PDP) set up Contact and Mobilisation Committee for each zone to reconcile various factions and ensure a firm unity of purpose within the zones before the election.

    “I was elected as the Chairman for the Soutwest zone.

    The Committee, made up of 18 senior members of the party with distinguished history of honour and exemplary leadership, met, at least, 10 times in my office in Lagos. “These people travelled all the way from every corner of the Southwest, with three members representing each state. All of them are very much alive to testify to my assertions.”

  • Regional integration and enhanced productivity as a recipe for paradigm shift in the Southwest (II)

    Regional integration and enhanced productivity as a recipe for paradigm shift in the Southwest (II)

    (Continued from last Friday)

    Among these include the first television station in Africa (now NTA), the first stadium in West Africa (Liberty Stadium), the first tallest building tropical Africa (Cocoa House) and the famous free education programme.

    What is most significant for me, within the context of today’s gathering and our concern, is the opportunity that these states now have to constitute a veritable model for national productivity, regional integration and other regional centres of excellence that others of the country and the continent can proudly emulate. The Schumpeterian spirits and unbridled entrepreneurship that were the building blocks of the foundation of the Old Western Region have been compromised.

    The need to reform the national productivity paradigm of Nigeria became obvious to me a long time ago in my continuous attempt to resolve the dysfunctionality of the Nigerian Civil Service. The necessity of a radical rethinking of a productivity-oriented Nigerian state has never been more compelling than now. Nigeria’s long decades of oil exploration and high growth figures have been accompanied by low productive capacity (de-industrialization), high unemployment and rising poverty and inequality. Nigeria presents a good case of a development paradox – “poverty in the midst of plenty” or “a resource curse development syndrome”. Such a paradox calls for deep rethinking and reflection on the country’s development model and paradigm. Any development paradigm that is not anchored on productive capacity and human development will remain non-inclusive and unsustainable. Such countries will not be able to effectively translate economic growth into economic development that substantially transforms the wellbeing and living conditions of citizens.

    The philosophical underpinning of the Western Region was entrepreneurship – based on building the ‘cake of development’. In the process of sharing from the ‘national cake’, the Schumpeterian spirit and professionalism have been replaced with patronage, nepotism and clientelism. Sooner than later, the region experienced a cliff, by falling from its productivity apogee to a trough.  Our ingenuity, innovativeness, and the cliché of a pace setter disappeared.  The Yoruba euphemism of ‘ajise bi Oyo laari, Oyo kiise bi omo enikankan’ turned to become a business as usual spirit – a cancer that destroyed our innovativeness and originality.

    At some point in time, the Western Region and Nigeria failed to emulate the paradigm shift that raised development frontier in the old western region. There are some of the structural factors that steadily took us to the development trough include:

    • The dynamics and operational mechanics of the relationship between productivity, performance and service delivery is not systematically managed, researched or tapped for effective policy implementation. Instead, we allowed nepotism and inefficiency to overtake productivity and performance.
    • Government remains the single largest employer of labour and provider of services in the economy with size and wage bill that is unsustainable and cry for restructuring within the logic that it will get worse before it will get better or in the language of reform, you can’t eat omelette without cracking egg. By the time we realized it, the proportion of capital expenditure at the Federal Government level fell from 41.67 percent during 1981-1990 to mere 17.77 percent during 2003-2014. The situation in some states is even worse. The resources meant for the entire population is being used to service less than 1.0 percent of the population.
    • The Nigerian economy remains mono-sectoral. The managers of the economy failed to decouple the economy and its sustenance away from oil. While countries like United Arab Emirate and Norway succeeded in decoupling their economy from oil, Nigeria became more enmeshed in the fortune and vagaries of oil. We were trapped into boom and burst of oil revenues with rising expectations from the public on government, including wage increase, subsidies going beyond capacity, and free meal at schools.

    Fiscal policy, if well managed, could be a veritable tool of development management. The Nigerian situation has proved worrisome and challenging in charting the course of development. Reversing the fiscal dependency syndrome remains a tall challenge.  The 1960s, when the Western Region was contributing to the Federal purse through the Cocoa Marketing Board, witnessed substantial regional and physical development such as the construction of the tallest house in tropical Africa and the most state of the art university (then University of Ife, known to be the second most beautiful university in Africa, after University of Alexandra in Egypt). However, when we moved from baking the cake to sharing the cake, development fortune plummeted.  The region that was setting the pace of national development in the 1960s and 1970s became a region with ‘cap-in-hand’ thereafter – relying on the Federal Government to finance its development.  State Governments barely generate about 17 percent of their total available revenues. Figure 1, shows the capacity of state government to generate internal revenues.

    How do Western States performed relative to national average in revenue generation? Using 2013, as a reference year, only three states Lagos, Ogun and Oyo performed above the national average of 15.3 percent of total revenues. Over the years, Lagos has been collecting more than 50.0 percent of its total revenues: down from 63.5 percent in 2008 to 54.9 percent in 2011 and 53.02 percent in 2013. Next is Ogun from 27.5 percent in 2008 to 31.08 percent in 2013. Oyo is also above the national average – 19.2 percent in 2013. The contiguity of these states, tends to promote fiscal policy harmonization, could be an advantage. The contiguity of the Western region therefore remains an opportunity that should rub-on on all the states of the region. This calls for regional integration and fiscal policy harmonization.  Although the fiscal power is still very low, Ondo State is one of the states with rising fiscal efforts. For instance, Ondo State ranked highest among states with an increased IGR/TR ratio from 2.1 per cent in 2010 to 8.6 per cent in 2011. This is followed by Kogi and Bauchi States.

    The level of fiscal dependence has created some fiscal inequality among states (Figure 3) – with Lagos State accounting for about 50 percent of the total internally generated revenues in the country. This is further driving inequality in wages between the centre and the periphery and, consequently deepening underdevelopment of the sub regions. This calls for mentorship and benchmarking between performing and struggling states on IGR

    The current growth and development model, built around a resource-base factor (oil) is counterproductive to the country and particularly the South West. The inability to decouple the national and state economies from oil is creating some dependency that could derail inclusive and sustain development in the Western Region. It takes little reflection to see why such a bottom-up growth trajectory automatically supports the craving for regional integration economies of scale among the states in the Southwest. Regional integration has equally been signalled as a potent factor in the economic successes of some of the advanced economic nations of the world. The story of Chinese development remains incomplete without regionalization, especially the delta cultivation.  There is no reason why the southwest would not toe this path even if it is just to advance it’s development agenda.

    The recalibration of Western Region development agenda call for some paradigm shift that allows for inclusive and sustainable development. This can be honed on two building blocks – productivity paradigm and regionalization prism. Building and enhancing productive capacity is the only long-term means of improving and sustaining national wealth. Shifting the productivity frontier calls for a new service compact between the people and government, not only in terms of service delivery but also in terms of fiscal citizenship. There is quid-pro-quo in fiscal-development conundrum. Quality services propel people to willingly pay taxes and reduce tax evasion. Inefficiency service delivery creates a wedge between the government and the governed on taxes and levies. It also calls for a compact between the Governors and the various MDAs, and between the Ministries and their various departments and agencies as well as social contract between the public and the private sector as well as the civil organizations. Moving on to the next level of development paradigm calls for a professional, agile, well-remunerated and committed public service.

    Productivity enhancement provides the link between innovation and entrepreneurship. We need to unleash drivers of productivity growth to stimulate entrepreneurship – the imperatives of new business creation. For the Western region to stimulate innovation, substantial investment is needed in research and development (R&D), patenting and creative activities, and digital information. To successfully shift development frontier in the Western Region, states and local government must invest heavily on productivity enhancement, entrepreneurship development and technological building, diffusion and transfer.

    A possible revival of regional economic cooperation through intensification of trade, implementation of regional investment projects, could foster economic growth in the Western Region.  In fact, the compelling justifications to do so also offer some strategic policy actions. Key factors that foster regionalization and development could accelerate sustainable development are:

    (i)       Networking: The States in the region should prioritize networking on policies and strategies both at the technical and strategic levels. This facilitates sound development exchange through drawing on lessons and experience sharing among states issues of strategic focus. A good example is networking in revenue generation capacity for effective revenue diversification. This reduces the region susceptibility to vagaries and vicissitude of global oil process. Lagos and Ogun States stand out (Figure 2) for benchmarking. Lagos State is a leader in terms of capacity to generate domestic revenues (Figure 3). A regional approach provides opportunity for enhanced capacity among the collaborating states in the region is vital.

    (ii)     Geographic cohesion: The compactness and contiguity of the region geographic opportunities in terms of the regional comparative advantage that could be used to unleash growth and development. This is where regional infrastructure such as rail, road, electricity generation, and irrigation and telecommunication backbones is critical.

    (iii)    Institutional and policy change: Regionalization calls for policies, practices and process to be effectively harmonized. Contradictory policies and practices are centrifugal rather than propelling centripetal forces for concrete development actions. In vesting in sectoral and strategic policy harmonization is ineluctable.

    (iv)    Adoption of fiscal harmonization calls for a regional partnership: The contiguous nature of the region makes tax and revenue harmonization an imperative. Heterogeneous taxes promote tax evasion and tax avoidance. Without a fiscal harmonization, people and companies move from states with higher tax rates to lower ones thereby reducing the tax bases of the affected states. A harmonised tax policy will increase overall revenues of the collaborating entities.

    (v)      Economic diversification is an imperative. Relying on hands out from the federal allocation would merely deepen current deleterious dependency syndromes, with catastrophic effects. To decouple each state’s revenue from oil, economic diversification is critical. The starting point is for each state to identify its comparative advantage and use such as the anchor of economic diversification. The next stage, where Lagos is now, is to diversify from primary commodities to high-end value added and high-end services—activities whose consumption grows as income grows. Harnessing resources from economic diversification could outpace revenue from oil.

    (vi)    Establishment of growth poles and economic corridors. The south-western states must reflect on activities that propel economic corridors across the partnering entities. This could be in the form of free trade zones, dry ports, transport corridors, and agricultural settlements, among other factors.

    (vii)   Setting up regional business hubs across the geopolitical zones would also serve as a big booster for trade across the region. Such trade centres could be used to encourage entrepreneurship in each state and large scale firms in various state hosted there to attract greater market access. The hubs would also serve as a one stop business start-up centre hence, making it easier for investors to do business easily. Government and private sector should be committed to supporting business and industry development, helping new businesses to establish themselves, and assisting existing industries to grow and diversify. Building the institution for capital venture and integration between formal and informal sectors are equally vital.

    (viii)  Development of Critical Infrastructure: Available data from the State Houses of Assembly shows that Lagos and Ekiti states have maintained a steady increasing commitment to developing critical infrastructure since 2010. The trend in capital expenditure for Oyo and Ondo state follows a similar pattern that suggests learning from one each other and greater linkage. Average capital budget allocation from 2009 to 2013 for the South Western states shows that Lagos accounts for 41.1% of the total capital budget allocation in the region while Ekiti state has the least. Thus, greater integration across the six (6) states would provide greater cooperation in public financial management that would strengthen resilience in the SW region. This would help to grow their economy and deepen development in infrastructure.

    (ix)     Deep-seated institutional reengineering: There is a compelling need to restructure the machinery of government to realign the capital-overhead-personnel budget structure in a remodelling that is rooted in a deep role of government redefinition with strong sensitivity to mystery index. This would have implication for staff strength, wage bill, number of MDAs, number of Special Advisers/Assistants, scope of support to government functionaries, service delivery approaches that is much more aligned to PPP alternatives, waste reduction strategy that is linked to a new maintenance management policy and a new asset efficiency scheme around redefined guiding principles, gradual move from lifetime career-based to flexible employment policies that is rooted in performance management, productivity bargaining industrial relation practices and contractual obligations in service delivery, etc.

    (x)      Establishment of regional development fund: Absence of sustainable funding of regionalization often lead to collapse of such partnerships. This could be sourced from states and local government contributions, bond issuance, Diaspora Bond as was the case in Ethiopia and private sector funding via build-operate and transfer and any other form of equity financing.  The states should decide the strategic areas this fund should be allocated to.

    Conclusion

     What we are pushing here is not going to be a day’s job, and it is not going to be easy. It will take persistent political will and persistent commitment by succeeding governments to achieve. The experience of ensuring that the European Union and the Eurozone work as a buffer area that enables the member states to achieve regional strength in economic and political matters, is a very good example. It demonstrates the dogged attempt at making sure that the European member states stay together under one banner. It also demonstrates the immense benefits that accrue to each member state.

    The consolation is that the South-western states will not be starting from a historical scratch. They have the historical legacy of the Western Region as the framework around which to build a collective dream of prudent fiscal management, critical infrastructural development, rapid industrialization, strengthened service sector, an enviable regional business hub, and so on. All these constitute a veritable bulwark against future economic recession and global oil downturn and severe fluctuation in revenue allocation.

  • APC groups elect national officers in Southwest

    APC groups elect national officers in Southwest

    The Coalition of APC Support Group in the Southwest has elected its officers.

    The election was held at the ARMTI Hall, Adisa Estate, Apo Area, Gudu, Abuja during the Congress of the Coalition of APC Support Group (Southwest Zone).

    The election was conducted for national offices zoned to the Southwest by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Election Management Committee, headed by Chris Owoicho.

    Kunle Ehinlanwo was elected as the deputy national chairman (South). Ehinlawo, who got 14 votes, defeated Interim Chairman, Reverend Abraham Adebisi. Doyin Johnson  was returned unopposed as the national vice chairman (Southwest), so also were Kehinde Akinsola (National Treasurer) and Kunle Jimoh (National Welfare Secretary), Rauf Sarafadeen Olaiya stepped down for Comrade Majeed Yahaya, who was elected as the national youth leader.

    A voice vote of the congress ratified the posts with the conclusion to present the officers for the National Convention of the Coalition, to take place after other geopolitical zones hold their elections.

    The election, which was conducted by Southwest Electoral Committee headed by Prince Feyisayo Ijifusi, was witnessed by National Secretary of the Coalition, Mr. Peter Okorafor, North Central Leader of the Coalition, Musa Otigba and National Women Leader, Rev. (Mrs.) Shali Williams Chinedu.

    The Coalition of APC Support Groups is a body of all independent groups that worked for the success of APC in the last general elections. It comprises of about 185 groups across the country.

    The Central Working Committee of the APC, headed by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, represented by Chief Segun Oni, APC deputy national chairman (South) inaugurated the Steering Committee of the Coalition on May 27 and directed that democraticallyelected national officers through an open National Convention be put in place within three months.