Less than two weeks after Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State brokered peace between Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, the two main gladiators in the South-West Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP), another crisis is brewing in the party in the zone.

The bone of contention this time around is the allegation by Fayose’s loyalists that Governor Makinde wants to corner the three National Working Com­mittee positions zoned to the South-West.

Sources informed our corre­spondent that positions of Dep­uty National Chairman (South), National Publicity Secretary and Deputy National Secretary may have been zoned to the South- West while National Women’s Leader and National Financial Secretary were zoned to the South-South. The South-East will produce National Secretary and National Auditor.

It would be recalled that Gov­ernor Makinde and Fayose met in Abuja on September 30,2021, at the instance of Governor Ortom. The Benue State governor, who brokered the peace between Gov­ernor Makinde and Fayose was said to have impressed it up on the two gladiators to work together in the interest of the PDP in the South-West.

However, one of the party lead­ers in Ogun State, who preferred anonymity, told our reporter on phone that Governor Makinde’s body language was suggestive of a take-it-all-plot.

He said the South-West zon­al congress in which there was just 13 votes difference between the winner and the loser should be enough to tell genuine lovers of PDP that the two groups have almost equal strength.

Citing the example of the recent appointment of Board of Trustee (BOT) members in which the five people appointed for the South-West zone were solely from the camp of Governor Makinde, the PDP chieftain noted that handling of the allocation of the NWC positions will show how sincere the governor is regard­ing carrying every stakeholders along.

He said there was no way any ­one can overlook the interest of the likes of Hon. Ladi Adebutu in Ogun State, Senator Ademola Adelekeand other sin Osun State and Engr. Deji Doherty and other notable leaders in Lagos State.

Another chieftain of the party in Osun State said with three po­sitions zoned to the South-West, the zone will now have four NWC members, inclusive of the Zonal Chairman produced by Gover­nor Makinde’s group.

He said in the interest of eq­uity and fairness, and most im­portantly that of the party, Gov­ernor Makinde’s group should only take one of the three NWC positions while those on the other side should take two.

The party chieftain explained that with that arrangement, Gov­ernor Makinde’s side will be having two NWC positions, five BoT members and the entire South- West Zonal Exco.

(Daily Independent)