Adebutu, Seriki, GNI: Who wears the PDP gubernatorial cap in Ogun?

As the intense battle to wrestle power from the ruling party All Progressive Congress ( APC) thickens in Ogun State, the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to bank on the political clout of the trio of Hon. Ladi Adebutu currently representing Remo federal constituency at the House of Representatives, Prince Gboyega Isiaka who had contested twice for the office in the past as well as Prince Segun Seriki, an ally of Sen. Buruji Kashamu who recently declared his governorship ambition to pursue its resolve to go back to the Governor’s Office at Oke-Mosan in 2019.

According to Arc. Kayode Adebayo, the Vice-Chairman of the party in the State, the party would not entertain zoning of its governorship ticket but rather leave the field open to all eligible candidates as this would help the party to get the very best from his array of aspirants.

With this development, unlike the ruling party that had announced zoning of its governorship ticket to the people of Ogun West Senatorial district, the governorship aspirants in the party will have to slug it out among themselves to pick the party’s primaries. The question now is who among these packs will eventually fly the flag of the party in 2019?

Analysts believed that Prince Gboyega Isiaka fondly called GNI stand a better chance not to only pick the party’s ticket but to also go ahead and win the governorship quest for the party. The Chartered Accountant is not only popular among the electorates having contested twice for the race in the State but is also seen as very refined, intelligent and oozes the leadership skills needed to turn around the fortunes of the State. He is also from Ogun West Senatorial district that many people believe should produce the next governor of the State for the very first time in the spirit of equality and justice.

His seemingly intimidating credentials not withstanding, GNI is not seen to be in the good book of the Alhaji Sikirulahi Ogundele leadership currently managing the affairs of the party in the State having pitched tent with Sen. Buruji’s faction until recently when the duo were alleged to have parted ways.

Since parting ways with Sen. Buruji’s camp of the party, he has also not been seen making any moves to key into the Ogundele led leadership of the party which is now the recognized executives from the PDP National Headquarters after the Supreme Court judgment that validated Sen. Ahmed Markarfi as the National Chairman of the party.

Prince Segun Seriki , Special Adviser on Media to the sacked PDP National Chairman, Sen. Alimodu Sheriff  who declared his ambition some days to the Supreme Court judgment may also eventually seek to realize his mandate in another party since his faction of the party controlled by Sen. Buruji had lost out in the leadership tussle of the party.

Although, Sen. Buruji had always maintained that he and his group remain in PDP and are even the handlers of the party at the State but this may not hold water for some time to come since the national leadership is said to be behind Ogundele led leadership and not Bayo Dayo led executives which did enjoyed the support of the sacked  Sen. Alimodu Sheriff national leadership. Already, this faction of the PDP members are already moving into Mega party and analysts believed that Prince Seriki too will soon move out since typical of Nigerian politics, the current leadership of the party in the State will definitely not want to support the ambition of someone who they have not had his loyalty and trust in the past.

As things stand now, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, the son of the Lotto Magnate and philanthropist, Sir Adebutu Kessington is believed to be the aspirant that may eventually pick the party’s ticket for the 2019 governorship race in the State. Aside being a politician with good grasp of the grassroot in the State, he has also been the sole financier and  the live wire of the Ogundele led leadership of the party while the power tussle lasted and the governorship ticket many believed is as good as been in his pocket. The legislator has however not taken this for granted as he kept traversing the length and breadth of the State mobilizing support for the onerous task of dislodging the APC in the State come 2019.