Gbenga Daniel Sits On The Fence As Dimeji Bankole Brands Kashamus’s Ogun PDP Guber Candidate, Gboyega Isiaka ‘A Fake product’

…why ex governor refuses to anoint, as aspirants engage in fierce fight

Speedily reawakening his influence party Leader and former Governor of Ogun sate, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has chosen to ‘sit on the fence’ while the two leading aspirants in his party slug it out over who becomes the official People’s Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate in Ogun state.

Former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole is in direct competition with Gboyega Isiaka- an aide of ex Governor Daniel for the slot.

Against directives of the national leadership, chieftain of the PDP declared wanted on drugs charges by a United States of America court, Kashamu Buruji had staged a gubernatorial primary election that produced Isiaka as the candidate.

9 out of the eleven aspirants for the ogun pdp gubernatorial ticket had abstained from the Buruji championed contest.

The ‘emergence’ of Isiaka had been buffeted with a lot of agitations, including claims in several quarter the national leadership of his party had declared the process that produced him null and void.

Dimeji Bankole, the man who enjoyed massive support at the national level appeared about to carry the day. The factors needed to rout out re election seeking incumbent, Ibikunle Amosun of rival All Progressives Party appear to favour him.

But Isiaka, from the minority Yewa region since clamouring for a chance to rule has refused to backdown.

He mobilised his supporters for a street protest to in the state capital, Abeokuta to ‘protect his mandate’

An action that earned him the appellation ‘fake product’ from- fellow party man and contestant for the Ogun gubernatorial ticket- Deji Bankole.

Bankole had reacted to the street protest by Isiaka’s supporters and backers via a statement from his support group, Dimeji Bankole Movement.

The statement read in part ‘, “We wish to state unequivocally that Mr. Gboyega Isiaka who is being paraded by a group of disenchanted members of the PDP in Ogun State as the governorship candidate of the party in the 2015 election is a fake product produced by an unauthorised primary.

‘The National Working Committee had issued a directive postponing the conduct of the governorship primary in Ogun State and pronounced that any primary in the state was null and void.

‘It was based on this directive that a leading governorship aspirant, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, and eight other aspirants obeyed the directive and withdrew from participating in the primary while only two aspirants were recalcitrant and took part in the primary.

‘It is in this light that we regard the protest of Monday, December 15, 2014 in Abeokuta by Mr Gboyega Isiaka’s supporters as nothing but a red herring, orchestrated to cause unnecessary panic and confusion within the rank and file of the PDP in Ogun State’

The Gboyega Isiaka faction is yet to officially react to this development.

Insiders revealed while this battle rage, Party leader Gbenga Danie has chosen a middle ground.

He is said to have adopted this stance in the bid to keep his eyes focused the bigger picture, ousting Governor Amosun from power.

Sources confirmed he is said to have charged his loyalists and followers to avoid the ongoing bickering within the party – and try as much as possible maintain strong alliance ad good relationship with all parties at war.

‘we need a united front to defeat Amosun, our mission to remove Amosun from office..we can’t afford to alienate anybody by taking sides…thatis why i am not canvassing for any aspirant..so what we do is to support whoever the party picks or emerges the party candidate…that is our focus..and we can only win by being neutral and being fence mender to recreate a united front afterall said and done’ he reportedly told followers at a secret meeting.

Interestingly Gboyega Isiaka came into political reckoning leveraging on the clout and influence of Otunba Daniel, but sources say – there are strong indication Bankole would emerge Party candidate based on forces at play.