Posted by 9jabook.com on December 8, 2009 at 9:43pm
A major financier of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, has petitioned the National Working Committee of the party, alleging that Governor Gbenga Daniel was using the party machinery to blackmail his empowerment programmes.
In the petition, addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, under the name of Kashamu‘s group, PDP Omoilu, the businessman claimed that the governor had ensured the labelling of his empowerment programme an evil one, where oath taking had become the norm.
A copy of the letter sighted by our correspondent, revealed that the petitioner attached a long list of text message exchanges between him and the governor over a period of time, especially when the going between the two was cordial.
The state PDP had, however, packaged a response to the petitioner, where the party alleged that the Ijebu Igbo-born Kashamu had introduced fetish activities into the programme to extract the loyalty of the beneficiaries.
Daniel, had for the first time openly responded to the allegation of blackmail of the group at a ceremony in Abeokuta on Wednesday, when he admitted that he supported the programme until he was inundated by reports of oath-taking attached to the distribution of cars and money.
He said, ”When we started our empowerment programme, we did not ask anybody to take secret oath. We did all our empowerment openly, but now our people use evil politics.
”When Kashamu started his empowerment, he started with my name and when I discovered he engaged in secret oath-taking, I decided to withdraw. But what surprises us is that the people we trusted were the ones supporting this devilish act.”
Sources close to Kashamu, who had claimed not to be a politician, told our correspondent that the party executive in 18 of the 20 local governments in the state, had received cars, mostly Toyota Camry and huge sums of money to belong to the Omoilu group.
Trouble appeared to be trailing the empowerment programme, however, as party officials suspected that the businessman, who was said to be working for Daniel before the turn of events, had started using the forum to transform himself to a kingmaker in the state politics.
The petitioner alleged that the suspension of the former state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Waliu Taiwo, and 21 other party members in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government in October was part of the systematic decimation of the Omoilu, which in itself is a faction in the PDP.
Kashamu, who described his role in the party as a peace maker, sought the intervention of the NWC of the party in the festering crisis between him and Daniel.
The Director of Organisation of the state PDP, Mr. Deji Kalejaiye, told our correspondent in Abeokuta on Thursday that the party confirmed that the controversial empowerment programme had been done with oath taking.
”We are not against empowerment programme (of Kashamu); what we are against is the style of empowerment. Why should anybody ask people to take oath because of vehicle and money?
”The crisis in Ota was caused by the disagreement over the sharing of the Omoilu largesse. Tell me, why should we support that kind of empowerment? Those suspended are billed to defend themselves before the disciplinary panel any moment from now. We are responding to the petition appropriately.”
Former Minister of State for Finance, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, had on Sunday in Ago Iwoye, advised that the state PDP should ”embrace Kashamu” and utilise his financial clout to move the party forward at a ceremony attended by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole.
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