Contrary to the announcement made by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which picked Buruji Kashamu as senatorial candidate for Ogun East as against Gbenga Daniel, ex-governor of the state, the former governor has kicked, saying such a political arrangement would take PDP nowhere.
Daniel, who was apparently reacting to alleged endorsement of Buruji Kashamu, chairman, Mobilisation and Organisation of the PDP in South West by over 700 delegates from nine local government areas under Ogun East senatorial district against the former governor, declared that the political arrangement that produced Kashamu instead of him would further affect the fortunes of the party in the state in 2015.
The former governor, in a statement issued in Abeokuta by Ayo Giwa, his media officer on Monday, submitted that the primaries for which the delegates cited that it produced Buruji Kashamu as the party senatorial candidate for Ogun East did not exist because the National Working Committee had earlier voided such primaries and therefore was of no effect.
The former governor explained that there was a political understanding reached at an emergency meeting held on Christmas day at the instance of the party’s National Working Committee which directed him, “Otunba Gbenga Daniel to run in order to enhance the success of the party at all levels in the senatorial district and by extension, the whole state.”
The statement reads, “Former governor of Ogun State and a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Gbenga Daniel has expressed his discontent about the activities of some leaders of the party, admonishing them to desist from discussing political developments within the party in the media as this negates one of the articles of the PDP constitution.
“The internal disagreements which are supposed to be necessary ingredients of democracy are, on daily basis, being externalised. This smirks of indiscipline and must be discouraged by all lovers of democracy especially at this crucial period when we inch towards a major election that will shape the future of the nation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP has declared that there were no authorised primaries held in Ogun State as the leadership of the party had earlier on called on all stakeholders to come with a unity list of candidates encompassing all various interest groups across the state. Tremendous progress has been made in this respect and the onus lies on the leadership to point the way forward.
“In order not to disrupt the arrangement, Otunba Gbenga Daniel elected not to run and pulled out of the senatorial race some weeks before the so-called primaries were held. However, at an emergency meeting summoned by the national leadership of the party on Christmas day, Otunba Gbenga Daniel was directed to run in order to enhance the success of the party at all levels in the senatorial district and by extension, the whole of the state.”
