News: Jonathan Parleys With Opposition to Dethrone ACN in South-West

That the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is determined to dislodge the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the South West states in 2015 is no longer news.

At least, the on-going political alignment and re-alignment of forces between hitherto strange bed fellows in the PDP family are pointers to the fact that the stakeholders are planning to actualize a mission.


President Goodluck Jonathan is believed to have commenced surreptitious moves to secure the support of key opposition parties in the South-west geo-political zone, especially the Labour Party (LP) and the Accord Party (AP) ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Sunday Trust learnt that the cordial relation between President Jonathan and Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Labour Party, the move to unite PDP members in the zone and the current alliance drive between former governors of Oyo State Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja of Accord Party and Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala of the PDP are part of the moves to boost his 2015 presidential bid.

Last month, the South West chapter of the PDP led by an ally of PDP National Chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur endorsed President Jonathan for a second term in 2015.

The endorsement was contained in a communiqué signed by the Chairman, South West Caretaker Committee of PDP, Chief Ishola Filani at the end of a meeting of the forum.

Another case in point is the recent inauguration of 14-man alliance committee set up by the two former Governors of Oyo State, Senator Ladoja and Alao-Akala to work out modalities for synergy between the two groups in anticipation of the forthcoming political dispensation.

Even though Senator Ladoja, a founding member of the PDP and erstwhile Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the party is currently flaunting his own political party, Accord Party, Otunba Alao-Akala has continued to claim that Ladoja will definitely stage a comeback to the PDP which he described as his (Ladoja’s) right political party. “If you look at Senator Ladoja very well, he is more of PDP than Accord Party. So, you should not rule out the possibility of his coming back into the PDP fold,” Alao-Akala said recently.

However, sources within the Accord Party in the State have been telling the public that Accord would not merge with any party despite not being averse to talking with any group to oust Senator Abiola Ajimobi as governor of the State.