PDP plans to end war in Lagos state

With its chances of capturing Lagos almost becoming a possibility, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is again about to self-destruct in Lagos. It is a curse that has consistently shadowed the party. Before now, party insiders had accused their main foe, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of planting spies to sabotage the peace of the party in the state to allow for the sustenance of his domination of the country’s commercial capital.


Obanikoro

However, with Tinubu himself now under the most serious challenge to his political authority, the space for such political adventurism is said to be limited. In the latest challenge to the authority of the leader, his onetime close associate, Dr. Muiz Banire, the national legal adviser to the All Progressives Congress, APC has in the last week gone public with his opposition to Asiwaju’s alleged plans to foist Akinwunmi Ambode as successor to the outgoing governor of the state, Raji Babatunde Fashola.
Agbaje

Such window of opportunity given by the dissent in the APC should have been a window for the PDP to upturn Asiwaju’s dominance. But no. PDP chieftains after about two years of maintaining a fragile peace have again resorted to the trenches with two main factions determined to pull down the other. Though unlike before when there were several factions divided along some of the major leaders like Chief Bode George, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, the late Funsho Williams, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro among others, the division this time has seen most of the factions collapse into two: Supporters and opponents of Obanikoro.

Almost all the leaders with the notable exception of Senator Obanikoro, the immediate past minister of state (defence) have forged an alliance under the leadership of George with the perceived objective of stopping Obanikoro’s governorship ambition. They also have almost united around the new party favourite, Jimi Agbaje who interestingly has merged his own structure into that of the faction led by George.

Though he refused to spell out his name, George (see accompanying interview) insinuated that Agbaje is President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidate to win Lagos. The president, it was learnt, was won over to the Agbaje project after several approaches from Lagos PDP chieftains who told him that Agbaje was the main man to help stop Tinubu and give him the needed votes in the presidential election.

The Agbaje project was, however, against the concept of Obanikoro’s long held governorship ambition. Party chieftains allege that Obanikoro was told before he accepted the ministerial position earlier this year that he should be ready to forgo his gubernatorial ambition should he agree to serve in the federal cabinet. The former minister, however, denies that and is insisting on pursuing his ambition despite a seeming convergence by party chieftains that the 2015 candidate should be a Christian in order to frontally confront Tinubu’s own plot. Though a number of aspirants have picked the form for the governorship, there is no doubt where the George machine which drives the party in Lagos is pushing. George says that being as a military officer that he was taught to always give heed to the desires of his commanding officer and hence his full involvement in the Agbaje project.

Though trouble shooters are still searching for peace, few doubt the success of such without a direct intervention of the president. There are suggestions that the president would be meeting with the chieftains very soon and without that, the prospect of Lagos PDP exerting itself would be in doubt. But should they find a convergence and Agbaje is positioned, the APC with its own internal squabbling could be in serious jeopardy in the very state from where the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN was revived after the PDP blitzkrieg of 2003. This may well be the last war for the PDP chieftains.