Encomium
CHIEF Bode George, a prominent national leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the Minister of State for Defence may be on collision course again over who becomes the party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State.
ENCOMIUM Weekly gathered that while Chief Bode George is rooting for Mr. Jimi Agbaje as the party’s candidate for the February 2015 governorship election, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is said to believe that he is the most formidable and credible candidate to get the party’s governorship ticket.
Chief Bode George, we gathered believed Mr. Jimi Agbaje’s non-controversial clean image and performance in 2007 governorship election where he came third despite not contesting on a popular political party platform, will stand him in good stead if adopted by PDP as their candidate.
But Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, ENCOMIUM Weekly gathered does not share this sentiment with Chief Bode George.
He is said to be working surreptitiously against this. Obanikoro believed he is more qualified to get the party’s ticket to contest against the ruling party (APC), based on the fact that he knows the APC very well, his current position as Minister of State for Defence and the current victory of the party in Ekiti State which he believed he contributed to immensely. He is, therefore, said to be involved in wide consultations with a lot of people in and outside of Lagos to convince them that he is the best man for the job.
When we sent a text message to Senator Obanikoro, he did not respond.
This certainly will not be the first time governorship ticket of the party will be causing a clash of interest between the two.
In the build up to 2007 general elections, the same thing happened between Chief Bode George and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. While Bode George and his supporters were rooting for Mrs. Hilda Williams, the wife of late Funsho Williams as the party’s candidate in the 2007 governorship election, Senator Obanikoro opposed it. The fierce battle between the two opposing camps led to a primary election held at the National Stadium,Surulere, Lagos.
Senator Musiliu Obanikoro won the primary election but lost the main election to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), who was the ACN candidate. The PDP’s loss caused division and rivalry between Chief Bode George’s supporters and those of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, which also affected him (Obanikoro) being appointed a minister.
Rather it was Mr. Demola Seriki, who was appointed a minister while Senator Obanikoro was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana.
Although Obanikoro visited Bode George in Kirikiri Prisons when he was there but it was not until recently that they reconciled their differences.
Will the 2015 governorship election cause another bitter rivalry between the two again? Only time will tell.
– TOLANI ABATTI
has set me thinking