NWC Of PDP Directed Me To Vie For Ogun East Senatorial Election, Says Daniel

Otunba-Gbenga-DanielThe erstwhile governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, says his alleged plan to become the Ogun-East senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party was due to a directive from the national leadership of the party, urging him to run for the seat.

He said this in a statement by his media aide, Ayo Giwa, on Monday.

The ex-governor was apparently reacting to an allegation by the Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of PDP in the South-West, Buruji Kashamu, that there were moves to impose Daniel as the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.

Kashamu won the PDP ticket to vie for the senatorial seat come 2015.

Daniel, however, warned the party leaders against taking issues concerning the party to the media, stressing that it contravenes one of the articles of the PDP constitution.

The statement read in part, “For the avoidance of doubt, the NWC of the PDP has declared that there were no authorised primaries held in Ogun State as the leadership of the party had early on called on all stakeholders to come with a ‘Unity List’ of candidates encompassing all various interest groups across the state.

“Tremendous progress has been made in this respect and the onus lies on the leadership to point the way forward.

“In order not to disrupt the arrangement, Otunba Gbenga Daniel elected not to run and pulled out of the senatorial race some weeks before the so-called primaries were held.

“However, at an emergency meeting summoned by the National leadership of the party on Christmas Day, Otunba Gbenga Daniel was directed to run in order to enhance the success of the party at all levels in the senatorial district and by extension, the whole of the state.

“Going by this arrangement, it is absurd for any group to call themselves delegates and make statements that will only heat up the polity and may inadvertently affect the fortunes of the party in the state”.