OGUN 2011: OBJ BATTLES DANIEL FOR SUPREMACY

•Gbenga
The war of supremacy going on between former president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel over the control of the state has turned to a political drama. Each of them is playing his own roles without minding whose ox is gored or what happens to the party and the state.

After all efforts to reconcile the two factions since 2008 failed, they organized parallel congresses last week in two different locations and consequently came out with two candidates for each post.

While Obasanjo organized his at his Obasanjo Presidential Library, Daniel held his inside the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the electoral panel from the national headquarters of the PDP attended the primary elections held at the stadium.

There was a frightening security beef-up at the stadium during the National Assembly and governorship elections, with legion of men and officers of the Nigeria Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in attendance, unlike those ones held at the Obasanjo Presidential Library which had only a few number of police officers and NSCDC in attendance.

The presence of Nigeria number four citizen, Speaker Dimeji Bankole at the primaries held inside the stadium where he also got his third term ticket as well added value to the exercise. The absence of Obasanjo, his daughter (Senator Iyabo Obasanjo- Bello) and other notable figures in the party at the stadium, showed that there were deep cracks in the house of PDP.

Daniel worked on the emergence of Lola Abiola-Edewor as the PDP candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District, defeating Jelili Kayode Amusan, Sabir Aroyeun and Iyabo. However, Iyabo 'won' the same PDP ticket in her father's library. Obasanjo quickly influenced Iyabo to be declared winner in Abuja thereby annulling that of Lola, eldest daughter of the late MKO Abiola whose presidential election of June 12, 1993 was annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida (retd).

The announcement was met with strong protest on Sunday at the MKO Stadium. The protesters said they voted Lola to compensate her for her father who labored and died for the democracy which Obasanjo and his daughter are enjoying today. They argued that if Obasanjo had enjoyed the dividends of democracy for eight years as nation's president and his daughter is now spending her fourth year as a senator why should Obasanjo and his daughter now deny Abiola's daughter of her chance? Lola has vowed not to surrender her mandate.