Date: 2015-02-10

Indication has emerged that the Coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign Organization in Kwara State, Barrister Mohammed Dele Belgore, SAN, has refused to participate in the campaign tour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, thereby deepening the crisis within the party.

Belgore who was also a governorship aspirant allegedly lost interest in the party’s affairs due to the emergence of Sen. Simeon Sule Ajibola and his running mate Mallam Ahmed Yinka Aluko who both hailed from Ilorin South.

Reportedly, several efforts made by the senior lawyer to persuade and convince the national leadership of the PDP to substitute Sen. Ajibola’s name for him was not fruitful.

Belgore allegedly claimed that the winner of the party’s primaries is not a popular candidate and cannot defeat the All Progressives Party, APC, gubernatorial candidate and the incumbent Governor of the State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

It would be recalled that during the Presidential campaign rally held on Monday 26, January 2015, Belgore in his opening address, deliberately refused to acknowledge the governorship candidate and his running mate in his protocol list.

National Pilot however gathered that Belgore has not been sighted in PDP’s campaign train which has covered almost seven out of the 16 local government areas of the state, thereby abandoning President Goodluck Jonathan re-election assignment despite all the logistics availed him by the national committee chaired by Ahmadu Ali.

Moro, Ilorin East, Ilorin West, Ilorin South, Asa, Patigi and Edu local governments have so far been covered by the PDP campaign train.

While most of the other aspirants that contested the primaries with Ajibola, Suleiman Ajadi and Alhaji Jani Ibrahim inclusive have replaced their advertorial billboards with that of Ajibola, Belgore has allegedly refused to do same.

Meanwhile, speculations that Belgore is backing the governorship candidate of Labour Party, Dr. Mike Omotosho was finally laid to rest last week Thursday when some of his die-hard loyalists such Yinka Ajia, among others accompanied the LP candidate to the public debate held at the Nigeria Union of Teachers, (NUT), Secretariat along Asa-Dam road.

Sources within the party disclosed that funds meant for Jonathan’s campaign project had been diverted by Belgore to support the emergence of the LP candidate as the next governor of the state.

Souvenirs meant to popularise President Jonathan like clothes and posters, our reporter gathered are yet to be distributed to party supporters, but are allegedly stockpiled in his (Belgore’s) residence along Aderemi Adeleye Street, GRA, Ilorin.

It was equally learnt that the campaign vans basically procured for the party’s rallies are allegedly used for domestic running by Belgore.

National Pilot also gathered that Belgore’s rejection of the PDP reconciliation process has further deepened the cracks in the party even as some of his supporters led by Dr. Sa’ad Omoiya have defected to the APC, while Alhaji Atanda Sooro and some others are busy supporting the Labour Party candidate.

According to a source who pleaded anonymity, all efforts made by the party to lure Belgore into the campaign project proved abortive, as he has isolated himself from the party and its chieftains.

“Belgore had hoped that the national leadership of the party will succeed in changing Ajibola’s name for him with the support of the Minister for National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman and a business mogul, Hajia Muinat Bola Shagaya.

“He also mobilised some youths during President Jonathan’s visit to Ilorin to be chanting his name even though the flag of the party was later handed over to Ajibola and his running mate, Aluko.

“All the materials that could have been useful for the propagation of President Jonathan’s project like posters and clothes are right there in his house stockpiled, including Hummer buses and Hilux vans.

“He was saddled with the responsibility to mobilise people for the president’s rally in Kwara State, but with the discordant tunes that has trailed the event from some of the groups, you can see that it was a highly divisive affair even though it might appear to be the contrary