Row over PDP S-West choice of Ajibola as Speaker


BY EMMA AZIKEN , POLITICAL EDITOR, CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, KOLADE OLANREWAJU & TORDUE SALEM
ABEOKUTA — THE South-West caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed Alhaji Muraina Ajibola as the Speaker-nominee of the House of Representatives.

The endorsement, which was passed at a meeting of the caucus in Ota, Ogun State, yesterday, immediately received flakes from some concerned members-elect from the region, prompting the prospects of a possible showdown on the floor on election day.

A senior member of the House said the endorsement from the Obasanjo-led caucus was a major minus for Ajibola.

S-East leaders kick

Meanwhile, the decision of the PDP national caucus to retain the present zoning formula which by implication rejected the quest by South-East leaders for either the Senate President or the Speaker of the House of Representatives was yesterday received with mixed feelings by South-East political stakeholders.

The Southwest PDP leaders met in the Hilltop residence of Obasanjo, yesterday, at the end of which they were believed to have unanimously picked Ajibola to fill the position of the Speaker which is zoned to the Southwest under the formula for the allocation of political offices agreed by the national caucus of the party.

The meeting, Vanguard, learnt, was chaired by Obasanjo, the Chairman of the Board of Trustee of the party, BOT, and had in attendance all the serving and past PDP governors in the zone except Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State.
Those who attended were Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State, former governors Olusegun Agagu (Ondo), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and Segun Oni (Ekiti).

Although members of the press were not briefed after the meeting which lasted about one and a half hours, an impeccable source said that the major decision that was taken was the endorsement of Ajibola.

Informed sources said that the candidature of the few ranking members of the House of Representatives re-elected on the platform of the party was reviewed and the caucus settled for Ajibola, who is said to be a lawyer and more experienced.

The South-West Caucus in the Dimeji Bankole-led House, it was learnt, is split on the choice of Ajibola, leading to the formation of a splinter group that is now backing Rep. Mulikat Adeola-Akande also from Oyo State.

A leader of the splinter group in Oyo State, Rep. Oyedepo Oyedokun, who is an out-going leader of the South-West Caucus, had told reporters at a briefing earlier that ”I am hook, line and sinker for Hon. Mulikat-Adeola Akande”.

The decision on Ajibola was also flayed yesterday by some ranking members of the House of Representatives who have won re-election.

“We will not allow another imposition from Obasanjo in the House of Representatives,” the member said yesterday in apparent reference to the choice in 2007 of Mrs. Patricia Etteh as the Speaker of the House of Representatives by the PDP under the aegis of the then President.

The choice, Vanguard learnt is opening the prospects of ACN and other opposition political parties teaming together to upset the plans of PDP on the floor of the House.

“We will vote according to the instructions we are given by our party,” Mr. Olumide Osoba, a member-elect from Ogun State told Vanguard, yesterday.

Meanwhile, Southeast political leaders yesterday expressed mixed feelings on the decision of the PDP to sustain the zoning formula for political offices.

“I believe if PDP believes retaining the present formula then, we, as part of the PDP family should go along with it,” Senator Emmanuel Azu Agboti from Ebonyi State told Vanguard yesterday.

Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, ex-governor of old Anambra State, however, disagreed. “We are very sad about it. We regret it, we reject the PDP zoning arrangement. We are going to meet to tell them our stand on it,” he said.

Efforts to reach the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uweche were unsuccessful yesterday. The group which backed President Goodluck Jonathan for the presidency has been in the forefront for the Southeast to get the office of Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/05/row-over-pdp-s-west-choice-of-ajibola-as-speaker/