‘Go and beg for forgiveness’
OBJ orders Tokunbo Kayode
Saturday Tribune gathered authoritatively that a meeting of the Ondo PDP stakeholders took place at the instance of President Obasanjo inside his Ota farm, Ogun State, on Thursday evening.
The meeting, which took place immediately after an earlier one held by chieftains of PDP in the South West geo-political zone, had in attendance former Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu, chairman of PDP in the state, Dr Omotayo Dairo and Prince Kayode.
Others at the meeting, which was held behind closed doors and presided over by Obasanjo, were Chief Solomon Oladunni and Mr. Demola Ijabiyi.
During the no-holds- barred meeting, the Ondo PDP leaders were said to have accused the Defence Minister of being an ally of Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, whom they accused him of conniving with, to rob the PDP of victory in the last gubernatorial and parliamentary elections in the state.
Prince Kayode was also accused of deliberately starving the Ondo PDP of funds which, as the minister of defence, he could have made available to prosecute the past elections in Ondo State.
The defence minister was also accused of not being sensitive to the financial plight of PDP members in Ondo State in addition to not supporting PDP candidates who contested elections.
In addition, Prince Kayode was accused of not empowering any notable PDP member in any of the three senatorial districts in the state, but, instead, concentrated on making only himself comfortable.
The minister was also accused of constantly embarrassing the leadership of the PDP in the state by waging media war to demean their political status.
After defending himself on each of the allegations, which were said not to be satisfactory to the Ondo PDP chieftains, Chief Obasanjo was said to have come to his aid by pleading with the PDP leaders to forgive him and rescind the suspension placed on him.
The minister was also reportedly ordered by Obasanjo to formally ask for forgiveness from the Ondo PDP leaders and to also beg them verbally.
Meanwhile, The poor performance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West was as a result of the poor performance of governors of the party, a chieftain of the party, Wole Adebayo, has said.
Adebayo, who was reacting to the suspension of the Minister of Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode ,from the party said the poor performance of PDP at the last general elections showed that governors of the party let the people down by their dismal performance.
The minister was suspended by the Ondo state chapter of the PDP after the party failed to deliver the state for which the party blamed Adetokunbo.
Adebayo however, while reacting in a chat said it was a mistake for the state chapter of the party to suspend the first Minister of Defence from the South West on grounds that he was responsible for the poor showing of the party in Ondo.
He said: the reason given is very absurd. In fact, PDP lost the election in Ondo state in 1999; it won in 2003 because AD was quite unpopular and the PDP rallied round and got the people.
We lost out again in 2007; so, the party must be willing to please the electorate and win from year to year. If you lose this time, youll win next time. The party that is so arrogant to think that it cannot lose election and that electorates have no right in making choice; that party is not ready for democracy.
We hope d PDP pipu will be magnanimous enough to forgive him and allow him serve again.But my problem with Baba is dat why does it take him so long to wade into the crisis when d harm has already been done
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