BANKOLE LIKELY TO EMERGE AS SDP GUBER CANDIDATE IN OGUN

Indication has emerged Wednesday morning that the former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole may emerge the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP in Ogun State.

Secret meetings are ongoing between aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state many of whom have threatened to leave the party for SDP, a mastermind of former governor and a chieftain of SDP in the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba.
It would be recalled that both Bankole and the former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel have lost out in their bid to clinch the tickets of both the governorship and Ogun East Senatorial ticket of the PDP.
Bankole lost the governorship ticket to Prince Gboyega Nadir Isiaka while Daniel’s bid to become a Senator was scuttled by Prince Buruj Kashamu.
Our correspondent can authoritatively report that the aggrieved PDP chieftains which include the former Speaker, Bamkole, the former governor, Daniel and a former Minister and Asiwaju of Ago Iwoye, Chief Jubril Martin Kuye, JMK have met with Osoba and have reached conclusion on certain matters.
At one of the meetings which was held at Osoba’s residence in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, it was resolved that the governorship ticket will be given to the former Speaker, Dimeji Bankole as he was referred to as a big fish.
One of the governorship aspirants on SDP’s platform in the state confided in our correspondent and confirmed the new development to PM News Wednesday morning.
According to the guber aspirant, who does not want his name in the print, “Yes, there have been several meetings and at the one of the meetings which I and two other governorship aspirants were in attendance, the issue of the governorship ticket was extensively discussed and it was resolved that the ticket be given to Bankole which three of us conceded to.
“I don’t want to mention any names but I can confirm to you that I have dropped my intention to contest for the governorship seat of SDP. I can even remember that at that meeting, the issue of Ogun East Senatorial ticket was discussed but we dropped the issue as someone, I don’t remember now declared that Senator Kaka will never release the ticket to Daniel, so the best thing is to forget about that and focus on how to win the governorship seat with Bankole as our candidate,” the source revealed.
The governorship aspirants of the party include deputy governor of Ogun State, Prince Segun Adesegun; Senator Akin Odunsi, who is currently representing Ogun West at the upper chamber in Abuja; Comrade Wale Okunniyi and Senator Gbenga Obadara’ representing Ogun Central among others.
Feelers from the camp of the deputy governor of Ogun State, Prince Segun Asesegun, who declared his intention to contest for the seat on the same day, Governor Ibikunle Amosun was adopted for the second term in office by the APC disclosed that the man is not comfortable with the latest development but he is yet to make any statement concerning the matter.
One of his close aides told our correspondent on phone this morning that, “we have heard about the development and what we heard was that Yoga, I mean, Baba Osoba has concluded plans on that. What we were told was that the zoning arrangement for the governorship ticket does not favour Ogun East and any party that field candidates from that district has already failed before the election.
“The ticket was formally zoned to Ogun West when GNI was first announced as the candidate for the PDP and when it became crisis all over the pages of newspapers that he gas been dropped for Dimeji Bankole,the calculation later switch to the Central and Obadara was then the favourite, but now with the coming in of Bankole, between you and I, we know that Bankole has electoral values than Obadara.
“So, if the party has decided to give the ticket to Bankole, I think, it is a well thought development. Our aim and goal still remain and that ‘Amosun Must Go’, no more,no less. Oga (Prince Segun Adesegun) has not said anything about the matter and I believe you will agree with me that he is real progressive, he will not do anything that will be detrimental to our desire to send Amosun packing from Oke Mosan,” one of Adesegun’s aide stated.
When our correspondent visited the Osoba’s resident in Abeokuta yesterday, it was gathered that some of the aggrieved members of the PDP were in a meeting with Osoba and information gathered from the party members within Osoba’s premises yesterday revealed that arrangement are in top gear to welcome and declare the former Speaker as the governorship candidate of the party early next year.
The compound which was littered with buses painted in SDP colour saw some of the candidates for the State House of Assembly from various local government coming to discuss their chances and others signing their withdrawal letters.
Speaking with our correspondent, one of Bankole’s aide confirmed the development and disclosed that the discussion with UPN in the state is still ongoing.
The source stated that the meetings with the leadership of Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN in the state has to do with how the party will accommodate some of the former Speaker’s loyalists who are aspiring for the elective positions.
“It was a misinformation from some quarters that Bankole is playing anti-party activities. Some newspapers have reported that we are in talks with both UPN and SDP, it is not true. Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole and other leaders in the PDP are discussing on their own with the SDP and some of us who are loyalists to Bankole, with his permission, are in talks with UPN to see if our mission to serve our people can be achieved.
“Bankole, Daniel, JMK, Salako and other leaders have been talking with SDP and we were rightly informed on Monday night that the SDP has resolved to give the governorship ticket to Bankole, who was a rejected stone in the PDP,” the source confirmed.
An unconfirmed information revealed to our correspondent late last night that some of the campaign vehicles of Dimeji Bankole have been given to one spray painters around Oluwo area of Abeokuta to be rebranded in SDP colour and logo.