OGUN PDP ZONES GOVERNORSHIP TO WEST, DEPUTY TO EAST

A clear picture of which area will produce the Ogun State governor in 2011 appears to be emerging as the Zoning Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state has zoned the governorship slot to Ogun West, made up of the Yewa/Awori stock.

The report of the committee, headed by the Senatorial Chairman of the party in Ogun East, Chief Kola Ogunjobi, which was submitted to the state PDP Chairman, Chief Joju Fadairo, in Abeokuta on Friday, equally zoned the deputy governorship seat to Ogun East, consisting of the Ijebu and Remo.

Competent sources in the party told our correspondent in Abeokuta on Thursday that the committee's report was ratified by the State Working Committee of the party at its meeting in the state capital on Wednesday.

A source in the PDP, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that though the stand of the party was to zone the governorship seat to Ogun West, it had, however, given the members in the Central Senatorial District the liberty to contest for the seat with members from the West.

The source said, 'The stand of the party is very clear and the report is unambiguous about it that the governorship slot is going to Yewa. The only clause is that since democracy thrives in variety, we have decided that the central can equally contest for the governorship. It is only the deputy that has been zoned to the East.'

It was learnt that while the senatorial seat for Ogun Central currently occupied by the first daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, 'has been thrown open,' the senatorial seat of Ogun East, being represented by Senator Lekan Mustapha, had been zoned to Remo, where Governor Gbenga Daniel hails from.

The party source informed our correspondent that the senatorial seat for Ogun West, which is occupied by one of the governorship aspirants, Senator Kola Bajomo, had been thrown open.

It was further gathered that the nine House of Representatives seats and the 26 seats in the House of Assembly were not zoned but thrown open to all parts of each federal and state constituencies.

Our correspondent learnt that Daniel had intervened on behalf of Obasanjo-Bello after the committee initially zoned the Senate seat in the district to Ifo area of the state while the Senate Committee Chairman for Health is from Abeokuta North Local Government Area.

It was learnt that the screening of the 11 aspirants from Ogun West by traditional rulers and elders of the zone in Ota on Wednesday was a follow-up to the clearance given to the zone by the leaders of the party.

The screening had earlier been put on hold as a result of the constitution of the Zoning Committee by the state PDP.

The source did not believe that the zoning arrangement would further polarise the party, saying it was meant to ensure equity, fairness and justice in the state.