There were strong indications on Friday that despite the peace moves of its leadership, the Peoples Democratic Party was facing an imminent break-up ahead of its national convention scheduled for May 21.
It was reliably gathered on Friday that at the South-West meeting attended by some chieftains of the party in Akure on Wednesday, those who were opposed to the bid of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to become substantive chairman gave a condition to support him.
It was learnt that although the chieftains at the meeting had agreed to cede the PDP chairmanship seat to Sheriff, he must relinquish the post in 2017. The Akure group had insisted that the PDP chairmanship should be zoned to the South-West.
It was gathered that Sheriff’s supporters in the zone, including the Senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu, had not accepted the condition.
The crisis, investigations showed, was worsened by the fight for national offices zoned to the South-West by the Akure group and party members led by Kashamu.
The South-West zonal leaders, including the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Bode George, had met in Akure on Wednesday.
Another faction of the party in the zone, including Kashamu and the National Vice-Chairman, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, met on the same day at Ijebu-Igbo, the home town of the Ogun East senator.
A member of the party, who attended the Akure meeting, said, “For peace to reign, we are going to support Sheriff on the condition that he put it down in black and white that he will leave in 2017. We do not want verbal agreement.
“We have not completely accepted Sheriff. We are looking at reaching a compromise. The arrangement now can remain till 2017 March. That is when a fresh exercise will be done. The zoning now is not the proper one.
“Already, all leaders in the South-West have agreed. The agreement will be written and stated. We will sell that idea to our colleagues and it must be written and accepted. So, we have accepted among ourselves in the South-West and we hope it will be accepted.”
Although the condition had not been tabled at the national level, feelers from Sheriff’s backers in the South-West zone indicate that they will not accept it.
