Former governor Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo State was absent last night when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caucus in the Senate Monday night met with six aspirants to the position of the party’s National Chairman.
It is unsure whether Ladoja, who recently rejoined PDP from Accord, was invited for the meeting, which was still holding at the Asokoro private residence of the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio as at the time of filing this report.
Ladoja, insideoyo.com learnt, was dragged into the race by some ‘powerful forces’ within the party.
A source had told insideoyo.com that the Ibadan High Chief would need a waiver to contest the chairmanship election as he just joined the party.
The aspirants that appeared before the senators included Chief Olabode George, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Prince Uche Secondus, Prof Taoheed Adedoja and Mr Jimi Agbaje.
The purpose of the meeting, which was being chaired by Akpabio was to interact with the aspirants, with the view to determining the suitability of each of the aspirants for the position of chairman.
Secondus and Agbaje who are in their 50s, are the youngest of the aspirants and are considered late entrants into the race.
George and Adeniran are in their 70s while Dokpesi and Adedoja are in their mid-60s.
The aspirants are billed to also meet with the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi shortly before today’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the party’s Abuja secretariat.
The NEC will be considering approval for the December 9 date and venue for the convention.
