Crisis rocks Ondo PDP over guber zoning

Sheriff insists on dissolution of caretaker committee

Aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the North Senatorial District of Ondo State have faulted the alleged imposition of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede, on the party by Governor Olusegun Mimiko ahead of the governorship election.

The aspirants, who met yesterday in Owo, Owo Local Council of the state to reject the purported endorsement of Jegede as the party’s candidate, said that the ticket must be zoned to the district or by concession be given to the South Senatorial District.

According to them: “This position of Mr. Governor is considered a miscalculation that will further put Ondo North Senatorial District at a serious political disadvantage, putting the state PDP at a loss.”

In a communiqué reached at the end of the meeting, they insisted that the central district where Jegede hails from with the incumbent governor cannot succeed itself after eight years, and threatened to vote against the former if the latter goes ahead to impose his choice on them.

The aspirants reiterated that the agreement earlier reached was to rotate the party’s candidate among the North, Central and South Senatorial districts, adding that it is the turn of the North to produce the party’s candidate since the last governorship election in 2012.

In another development, Sheriff has stated that the dissolution of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee was the only remedy to the crisis in the party.

Sheriff, who spoke yesterday when a delegation of Abia Chapter of the PDP from 17 local councils paid him a solidarity visit, stated that though he was approached for reconciliation by PDP governors from the North-East, he said unless those conditions reached by about 30 party stakeholders were implemented, he would remain the national chairman of the party till 2018.