Ogun PDP CRISIS: Daniel, Kuye, Dimeji set to defect to SDP

A strong indication has emerged that, a mass exodus of members and stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State is currently looming.

This is coming as a former chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Aviation, Hon. Dave Salako has warned the national leadership of the PDP to either sanction the Chairman of its Mobilization and Organization Committee for the South West, Prince Buruji Kashamu or risk losing the 2015 elections in Ogun State.

Salako accused Kashamu of being allegedly responsible for the perennial crises rocking the PDP in Ogun State.

Vanguard reliably gathered that, this development, has prompted leaders of three of the major groups within the PDP in the state along their followers to begin defection into the newly introduced Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the state.

It was gathered that the recent loss of the three groups in the last congresses and recent primaries of the PDP in Ogun State prompted their action.

A former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and eight other aspirants had boycotted the party’s governorship primary election which produced Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka.

On Monday, leaders of the Dimeji Bankole, Gbenga Daniel and Jubril Martins-Kuye groups reportedly met in Abeokuta, the state capital where they put finishing touches to their planned mass defection to the SDP.

It was also reliably gathered that, on Monday night, former governor, Gbenga Daniel held a secret meeting with the leader of the SDP in the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba in his Abeokuta residence.

A source told our correspondent that, apart from Daniel, other PDP leaders present at the meeting include a governorship aspirant of the party, Chief Anthony Ojesina; a former chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Joju Fadairo, Chief Niyi Adegbenro, among others.

Vanguard further gathered that the general mood and consensus of the leaders at the meeting favoured the mass defection of the aggrieved members of the PDP into the SDP.

When contacted, a leader of the Jubril Martins-Kuye group, Hon. Dave Salako declined to comment on the issue.

But, he, however, stated that Kashamu had so far instituted over 40 cases in court against the leaders of the party at both the state and the national level, including the one he filed against the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

He wondered why the PDP National Working Committee had been treating Kashamu whom he alleged had become fond of deliberately flouting all the directives of the party’s national leadership as a sacred cow.

In his reaction, Kashamu said that Salako’s outbursts should be ignored.

He added that Salako was still smarting from his inability to realize his governorship ambition and profit from the party which he and members of his group abandoned since 2011.

Kasahamu in a statement by his Media Assistant, Austin Oniyokor said: “No careful observer of Ogun politics would be surprised at Dave Salako’s outburst. He is rueing the devastating crash of his deputy governorship ambition and looking for whom to blame for his failed ambition.

If there is anyone that should be sanctioned for working against the interest of the party, it should be Salako who, alongside his masters, abandoned the party since he lost his re-election bid in 2011 and now want to reap where he did not sow.”