There are strong indications that former Governors of Ogun State, Aremo
Olusegun Osoba, and Otunba Gbenga Daniel and their supporters are
heading back to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Daniel and his supporters defected from APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Osoba
was a founding father of the APC but a disagreement with Ogun State
Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosu, also of the APC, and the inability of
the national leadership of the APC to settle the quarrel led to his
moving to the SDP with his supporters.
He also alleged marginalisation of his group by the national leadership of APC as the reason for the defection.
Osoba
and his group contested and lost the last election on the platform of
the SDP, though there were several last minute moves to reconcile with
the APC.
P.M.NEWS reliably gathered that the reconciliation moves
have been revived and delegations from the APC have met twice with
Osoba in his Abeokuta home to ensure his return to the party.
Sources
close to the two time former Governor of the Gateway State confirmed to
P.M.NEWS that the first delegation led by the National Deputy Chairman
of the APC and former Governor of Ekiti State, Engineer Segun Oni, met
with Osoba immediately after the Presidential and National Assembly
elections in Abeokuta.
“I was with oga (Osoba) and the delegation
led by Engineer Oni came. They told him to come back to the fold. They
even wanted him to withdraw the SDP candidates from the governorship and
state assembly elections. However, he stated that inasmuch as he will
want to return, he cannot withdraw the SDP candidates from the election
at this eleventh, noting that it will negatively affect his political
status. He, however, stated that after the elections they can meet
again,” our source said.
After the governorship and state
assembly elections, another delegation led by another former Governor of
Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi met with Osoba in his Abeokuta home and
the subject of discussion was his return to APC.
For now, Osoba
is out of the country and our correspondent learnt that when he returns,
further meetings on the reconciliation move will be held to cement the
agreement.
P.M.NEWS also learnt that Otunba Gbenga Daniel is also set to rejoin the APC fold.
Daniel
was a member of the Alliance for Democracy in 1999, but left to join
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to contest the 2003 election against
Aremo Olusegun Osoba in Ogun State. In 2011, Gbenga Daniel founded the
PPN to install his protégé, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka a.k.a. GNI, as his
successor after irreconciliable differences with former President,
Olusegun Obasanjo-led PDP. GNI, however, lost the election to present
Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
In the run-up to 2015 elections, Gbenga
Daniel first held a long romance with Labour Party, LP, in Ogun State,
then dumped it to join the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. But his
association with PDP was soured by his frosty relationship with Prince
Buruji Kashamu, who denied Gbenga Daniel the Senate ticket for Ogun
East.
Of recent, Daniel has been making moves to reconcile with
APC leaders and was present at the wedding of Dele Alake’s son at the
weekend.
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