SDP in talk with Osoba, 3 APC Senators, 6 Reps •We’re discussing; they aint wooing me —Osoba

THE crisis buffeting the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) appears from being far from over, as the national leadership of the newly resuscitated Social Democratic Party (SDP) has opened a discussion Chief OlusegunOsoba. Osoba, who is a former governor of the state and one of the national leaders of the APC, had vowed never to stay in the same boat with Governor Ibikunle Amosun. The power tussle had torn Ogun APC along the camps of Osoba and Amosun, leading to the formation of parallel executives of the party in the state. The national leadership of the APC had upheld Amosun’s faction. In Osoba camp are the three Senators representing the state, Gbenga Kaka, Akin Odunsi and GbengaObadara as well as six House of Representatives members and some state Assembly members. We learnt that the national leadership of the SDP met with Chief Osoba last week and wooed the former governor to join the party. But Osoba, in a telephone interview, said it was true he and leaders in the Afenifere group were “meeting and discussing” but was not being wooed to join SDP. “Chief Ayo Adebanjo is their (SDP) director and Sir OlaniwunAjayi is also there. They are all Afenifere leaders and they are discussing with me. It is not that they are wooing me. “We are all Afenifere members and they are the founders of SDP. It is true that we have had discussions in Abuja here at the confab and we are all in the confab. The word ‘wooing’ is not true and does not apply to our discussions,” Osoba said. It will be recalled that Osoba was elected governor of Ogun in 1992 under the banner of the SDP during the botched Third Republic. It was gathered that the SDP leadership impressed it upon Osoba to embrace the party because its philosophy and programmes would not be new to him. One of the key members in the Osoba faction of the APC told confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that Osoba and SDP leadership met last week. The source said the former governor had yet to discuss what transpired in the meeting with them. He however said the possibility of the APC leaders in the Osoba camp joining SDP to stop the re-election of Governor Amosun next year should not be ruled out. “We have not decided which party we will join. But soon, the party will be made known. One thing is sacrosanct: we cannot co-habit in Ogun APC with Amosun. It will never happen.” The source said.