DANIEL UNFIT TO LEAD NGF – OGUN PDP CHIEFTAIN

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State and a senatorial aspirant in Ogun West, Chief Babatunde Fadun, has described Governor Gbenga Daniel as unfit to lead the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF).

The governor's antecedent, he says, is a bar to his aspiration.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, Chief Fadun, who is a foundation member of the PDP in the state, expressed fears over the crisis engulfing the party in Ogun, Oyo and Osun states. He warned that 'unless the crisis is resolved, we could lose the states to the aggressive Action Congress of Nigeria.'

He expressed disgust at the inability of the Federal Government to reopen the state House of Assembly, lamenting that the state is at present under a sole administrator.

As far as the politician is concerned, the NGF is a very serious body and would definitely require someone that has high regard for democratic antecedent to lead it, as it plays a very pivotal role in our democracy. 'A person that has scant regard for democracy like Otunba Gbenga Daniel', he said, 'is definitely not qualified.'

He added: 'Yes, he is a second term governor and is not vying for the presidency, but that is not the only criterion. The democratic credential of the person is very important. A body like the NGF can't be led by a person like Daniel. I know that many members of the PDP in Ogun would be laughing when they heard that he was made the chairman of that body. He is the least qualified. I was not surprised when they listed eight reasons why he can't lead the group. I agree totally with all the reasons. Anyone in doubt of his democratic credentials should just visit Ogun and have private audience with some members. He was the one behind the crisis in the state PDP and he even engineered the impasse at the state House of Assembly.'

Fadun, who bemoaned the inability of the legislative arm of government in Ogun to sit for close to three months, claimed that 'it is the Federal Government that closed the assembly because they fear there could be breakdown of law and order, but many of us are surprised that the government has not deemed it fit to reopen the assembly. We had made representation to the president. All he told us was that he would look into it, but till today he has not, we still don't understand what is so difficult in it.'

The PDP stalwart is also unhappy that the impasse in the state PDP has not being resolved despite the evidence before the national leadership of the party. According to him, 'the case of Ogun PDP is a bit unique. There were no primaries in ward and local government levels, the governor just handpicked some people and announced them as the executives.

I don't know how that can happen, because it is the ward that will go to the local government and those from the local government will go to the state, but they just sat at the governor's office and they compiled names of those they want to make officials and just announced them. Everybody has said there should be harmonisation but it has not happened and there is this impasse, which I must say is bad for the party as the election is approaching.'