The supremacy battle between former president Olusegun Obasanjo and the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, took a new dimension on Monday as their groups vowed to defeat each other in the forthcoming elections.



The governorship candidate of Daniel’s faction, Mr. Gboyega Isiaka, said the Peoples Democratic Party would not win the state in the April elections.



In an interview with journalists in Abeokuta, Isiaka, who defected to the Peoples Party of Nigeria, explained why Daniel’s faction dumped the PDP.



Investigations showed that although the governor did not leave the PDP, Isiaka and other candidates of the faction left the ruling party with his permission.



Isiaka said that though he will contest the governorship poll on the platform of the PPN, his group would support President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential election.



But his rival and PDP governorship candidate, Gen. Tunji Olurin (retd.) and his running mate, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, dismissed Isiaka’s threat, saying no party could defeat the PDP in Ogun State.



Olurin, reacting to the defection of the members of Daniel’s faction, described the development as unfortunate.



The governorship candidate, who spoke through the Chairman of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Layi Olabode, said, “The development is very unfortunate. Olurin is a man of peace and has extended hands of fellowship to all.



“But to us in the PDP, we see the development as a storm in a cup of tea as it will have no effect on the fortunes of the party.”



Oladunjoye said, “The chicken has come home to roost. We have been suspecting their anti-party activities. Like their sponsors did to the Alliance for Democracy, they want to destroy the PDP.



“Unfortunately, the PDP is too big for them to destroy. In the next few days, you will see that there are no big names going with them. Their plan to win the state is wishful thinking.”



But Isiaka blamed the national leadership of the PDP and the judiciary for the group’s decision to dump the party.



He said, “I maintain that the PPN will defeat the PDP at the governorship elections, and other levels of elections.



“We have our structures on ground and we are moving our political structures with us to the new party. In the forthcoming elections, we will see who is who.”



Isiaka said, “Our decision to dump the party was borne out of the need to realise our political ambitions in the face of injustice being perpetrated against us by the party’s national leadership in collaboration with the judiciary.



“We feel aggrieved because we believe that the election that threw us up as the party’s candidates was free and fair, in line with the party’s constitution and the process was monitored by relevant bodies, so we see no reason why it should be upturned in favour of a group of people.”



Isiaka stated that the group was able to beat the INEC deadline for substitution and withdrawal of candidates as the PPN had been part of the many options the faction had been considering. He noted that, “It is not something that just happened overnight.”



One of Daniel’s aides, who is now the Ogun State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Party of Nigeria, Mr. Ajayi Raheem, said, “ Yes, we are now in the PPN, a party with good motive and with responsive governance. Members of the PDP that are loyal to Daniel are now in PPN.”



Investigations by our correspondent revealed that apart from Daniel, Mrs. Lola Edewor-Abiola, the daughter of the widely acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola, who is also a senatorial candidate of the faction, had not left the PDP.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103083515970

I dey laugh ooooo, Gboyega ko, Gbewonga ni, mumu. Amosun'll rather win.

PPN. I DEY LAUGH OH ,
PEOPLE POSING FOR NOTHING.