Crisis rocks Lagos PDP over Grange’s replacement

Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Lagos - 27.03.2008

THE choice of a replacement for former Health Minister, Professor Adenike Grange, is already deepening the crisis in Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nigerian Tribune gathered on Wednesday that following the announcement of the resignation of Grange, each of the two factions in the party started making moves to ensure it produced the new ministerial nominee.

Mrs. Grange and the former Minister of State for Health, Mr. Gabriel Adiukwu, resigned their appointments on Tuesday over corruption allegations.

Grange was one of the two ministerial appointees from Lagos State. When contacted on the telephone on the matter of getting a replacement for Grange, state chairman of PDP said Mr. Secongi Koshoedo, said “the decision on who will replace Prof. (Mrs.) Grange will be made after a serious deliberation by the party leadership. For now, the party leadership has not met on the issue. So, no choice has been made yet.”

Nigerian Tribune, however, gathered that intense politicking and lobbying had been going on since the resignation of the former minister was made public on Tuesday.

Findings revealed that while a group in the party wanted the original ministerial list which comprises Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, PDP governorship candidate in the April 2007 election; Mr. Ayo Abina, a banker and technocrat; and Mr. Tokunbo Kamson, a former PDP governorship aspirant, represented as the nominees for Grange’s replacement, the other group was asking for fresh nominees.