Barring any last minute change, the coast seems clear for the former Vice President Alex Ekwueme to emerge as the compromise candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT).
Warring factions in the ruling party may have closed ranks to adopt Ekwueme as their collective candidate for the BoT slot to stave-off rancour and promote cohesion among party members, LEADERSHIP authoritatively gathered yesterday.
And the South West caucus of the PDP has expressed? its resolve not to replace the embattled National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Oyinlola, a one-time governor of Osun State, has since been replaced by his assistant, Solomon Onwe on acting capacity by the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, citing a recent ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja that Oyinlola was not duly elected.
Speaking in a telephone chat with LEADERSHIP yesterday, the zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon Kayode Babade, who said the current circumstances did not warrant a replacement for Oyinlola, saying the party would rather encourage him to seek legal redress to reclaim his seat.
“There is no such move to replace Oyinlola by the zonal caucus. The news suggesting that some highly placed members are scheming to replace him is false. No such move exists and we will no encourage such at this stage. What we are doing is to encourage him to regain his position,” Babade said.
Barely few days after the Federal High Court in Abuja sent the PDP national secretary packing, some chieftains of the party from the South West region were said to be angling to replace him, indications emerged yesterday.
Those being mentioned include former governor of Ekiti State and PDP vice chairman (South West), Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Ebenezer Babatope, Taoheed Adedojah and Chief Fabiyi Oladimeji.