Booing at PDP Rally: Daniel Accuses Obasanjo’s Faction of Hiring Crowd

The fragile peace within the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came under renewed strain yesterday as Governor Gbenga Daniel accused the faction of the party led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of allegedly hiring people to boo him at the PDP presidential campaign rally held in Abeokuta last weekend.

Daniel alleged that some of those who attended the rally were paid N2,000 each to boo him.

The governor made the allegation at an event titled “Congress of Gratitude: A Festival of Appreciation by Secondary School Teachers in Ogun State — A Summary of the Impacts of the OGD Years in the Education Sector,” where he was honoured by secondary school teachers in the state.

Daniel’s outburst was apparently in reaction to comments credited to the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State, General Tunji Olurin, who had reportedly warned that the governor could face imprisonment if he continued to spend public funds recklessly.

Olurin had also told supporters during a campaign rally in Ilaro that Daniel would be jailed if he used state resources to finance the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), the political platform adopted by some of the governor’s loyalists after leaving the PDP to contest the April elections.

Reacting to the development, Daniel described the Obasanjo-backed faction and Olurin as “undertakers,” alleging that they lacked the moral authority to lead the state.

“The undertakers have come; by the special grace of God, their coffin will have nobody.”

The governor also questioned the credibility of those who claimed to represent the conscience of the country.

Addressing the teachers, Daniel alleged that people had been recruited to attend the presidential rally and boo him.

“On Saturday, they hired some people. We have found out that they hired people to the stadium in Abeokuta. The people they hired have now come to us to confess.”

According to him, some of those allegedly recruited had come from Lagos and claimed they were paid N2,000 each to attend the rally and boo him.

Daniel reminded the teachers of his administration’s eight-year tenure, saying he had stood by them through difficult periods.

He said his administration had also made history by governing Ogun State without having to go through an individual or group to exercise its authority.

Turning to the teachers at the event, the governor asked:

“Great teachers, how much did the governor give you before you came here today?”

PDP Denies Hiring Crowd

The Ogun State chapter of the PDP, however, denied the allegation that it hired people to boo Governor Daniel during the presidential campaign rally in Abeokuta.

The party maintained that the crowd at the rally was not hired for the purpose alleged by the governor.

Amosun Attacks Obasanjo

Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his reported distancing from the Daniel administration.

In a statement, Amosun argued that Obasanjo was not in a position to disown the performance of the Daniel administration, given his strong support for the governor during the 2003 and 2007 elections.

“Baba Obasanjo is the last person to rate the performance of Daniel low in Ogun State,” Amosun said.

He recalled that Obasanjo had supported Daniel during the 2003 and 2007 elections and had publicly praised his administration on several occasions.

Amosun also alleged that Obasanjo had supported the PDP during the 2007 election and accused the former president of bearing responsibility for what he described as the failures of the PDP administration in Ogun State.

He described the current disagreement between the former president and the governor as a political development aimed at presenting another candidate to the people of Ogun State.

According to Amosun, the development represented another attempt by the PDP to deceive the people of the state.

He therefore urged the electorate to hold the former president accountable for his role in the PDP administration over the previous eight years.