Obasanjo’s loyalists divided over Jonathan’s re-election

Cracks have appeared  in the political camp of  former President Olusegun Obasanjo as  his loyalists are divided. Some of the loyalists want to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while others are in favour of defection to  the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that some of the ex-president’s loyalists, who ruled out the idea of defecting  into APC, are behind  President Goodluck Jonathan in his second term ambition.
It was gathered that at a meeting of the PDP caucus in Ogun State, held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Friday night, a motion was moved to decamp to APC.
According to a  source at the meeting, the motion to join APC was moved by the Ogun East senatorial chairman, Chief Tayo Ajayi, and was seconded by another elder from Ogun West, Chief Shina Adejobi.

A counter motion was moved by a former lawmaker who represented Ifo I constituency at the state House of Assembly, Hon. Johnson Fatoki, before the motion was put to vote.
14 PDP  chairmen out of  the 20 across Ogun and two serving members of  the state House of Assembly,  Job Akintan and Abiodun Akovoyon, also allegedly countered the motion to join the APC.
After the move to join APC hit a brickwall, the two groups were advised to continue negotiating with the parties of their choice and report back to the house.

At the meeting, Chief Sunday Alawode was elected interim Chairman of the caucus. Alawode later  said the Obasanjo  group was not in support of the move to negotiate with the APC.
He told Sunday Vanguard that members of the group were  solidly behind the reconciliatory moves by the new Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu  Mu’azu.
“Yes, a meeting was held and someone moved a motion to join the APC and the motion was countered. 14 local government Chairmen and all political functionaries were not in support of the move and since Chief Obasanjo has made it clear he is staying in PDP, we stand by him on that decision,” he said.

“We congratulate the new National Chairman of our party and believe in his ability to reconcile the party in the South-west and Ogun State in particular.
“ We also support President Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambition and we are ready to work for its success.”
It was reliably  gathered that some of  the close associates of  Obasanjo have been holding meetings with the two factions of the APC in Ogun State in recent times.
Among those who were at the meeting were the deposed  National Auditor of the PDP, Chief Bode Mustapha, one-time Chairman of the party in the state, Senator Dipo Odujinrin and Femi Majekodunmi