Posted by By JAMES OJO, Abuja on
The South-West caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives may soon be hit by mass defection as some pro-3rd term lawmakers, who emerged victorious in the party's National Assembly primaries have decided to join other parties if they are denied the tickets.
Daily Sun gathered that the reps, numbering about 45 across the six states of the zone, met on Tuesday night at Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja and reviewed alleged attempts by their state governors to substitute their names in the final list to be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The reps accused the governors of going to the just-concluded retreat of the PDP in Abuja with a fresh lists of candidates different from the ones prepared by their respective PDP state secretariats.
The majority of the reps, who were at the forefront of the infamous campaign to extend the tenure of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, it was gathered, came with certificates of return duly issued to them by the party.
After hours of outpour of grief, the reps agreed to report the governors to the PDP National Chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali and President Obasanjo, whose interest they claimed to have protected by supporting the third term agenda.
Following this agreement, a barrage of protest letters has been dispatched to the PDP secretariat, some detailing how the affected reps stood by the decision of the party to support third term as well as other party positions on national issues.
In one of the petitions to Ali, Hon John Fashogbon said that he was shocked that Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Osun State governor, was bent on replacing him with a former Customs officer, who never collected nomination form.
He admitted being a strong third term campaigner, who should not be replaced with somebody he alleged to be a strong supporter of Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
'As a sitting member of the House, my loyalty and support to the PDP, my political party, has never wavered nor been in doubt since the inauguration of the National Assembly in 2003," he claimed.
Hon Fashogbon attached newspaper cuttings on himself and another aggrieved member who promoted third term to prove his loyalty to the party.
Hon Wale Ogunbanjo blamed his woes on Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel's dislike for him, while Hon Debo Ayinde and Emiola Fakeye accused Governor Oyinlola of orchestrating their political misfortunes.