PDP panics as Obasanjo meets South West women leaders

All market leaders (Iyalojas) and con­cerned women in the six states in the South West geo-political region are today holding a crucial meet­ing with former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at his hill top mansion in Abeo­kuta, Ogun State.

Although the agenda of the parley convened at the in­stance of the former Nigerian leader was being kept under wraps, it had unsettled the rul­ing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over fears that it might be used to mobilise the elec­torate, particularly women in the zone against the party’s presidential candidate, Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan in the February elections.

According to the notice of the meeting, which was sent out by the Iyalode of Egba, Chief Alaba Lawson, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Sun, the women delegates “are to assemble at Commerce House, Igbehin Hills, near Ibara Police Station, Abeokuta at 9a.m. to go in convoy to Baba’s House for the 10 a.m. appointment.”

Although the objective of the parley was still shrouded in mystery, sources close to the PDP in the zone said the party was not comfortable with the development coming at this crucial moment when election was very close.

What has sent jitters down the party’s spine, said a source, who pleaded not to be named in print, was the present posi­tion of the former president Obasanjo on the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jon­athan, which “as you all know is not encouraging.”

The source said: “As much as we are not privy to the meeting’s agenda, we are con­vinced that it cannot be any­thing than political and since the body language of Baba as far as PDP is concerned is against our plan to have Presi­dent Jonathan back in office, we are worried. It is no more a secret that the former presi­dent is more disposed to the opposition taking over power from the current president and our party, though he is still a member of the PDP; so, we have to monitor his moves, especially as elections draw nearer in order not to be caught unawares,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Daily Sun learnt that some of the wom­en invited to the meeting had threatened not to honour the invitation without firm prom­ise of ‘mobilisation’ before leaving Abeokuta, while some others were said to have been reaching out to politicians, especially PDP stalwarts for sponsorship of the trip, a situ­ation that the party found curi­ous.



THE SUN