Reporting reaching CEOAFRICA News indicate that Former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, may be dragged into the governorship race in Ogun State. An indication to this emerged on Monday in Iperu, Ogun state, the country-home of Dave Salako during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

During the meeting, the PDP stakeholders also rejected a plan by a caucus within the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo camp to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The stakeholders were of the opinion that the candidature of Bankole would wrest power from the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in the state.

Sources told revealed  that the stakeholders at the meeting described Bankole as a credible and strong candidate that would take the reins of governance from Amosun.

Among those who attended the Iperu meeting were members of the former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s faction, some members of the erstwhile governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, and the loyalists of former minister of commerce, Senator Jubril Martins.

Salako, who confirmed the development said: “We are not only canvassing, we are desirable, we are looking for him (Bankole) to be the standard bearer of PDP in the election and we are giving him all the support in 2015, and we are confident. If you leave here, go to Abeokuta, Yewa and Remo, the name you will find on their lips is Dimeji Bankole. So, he speaks for himself.

“In Ogun State, we still believe that we have peculiarity in our state but we are going to make sure that everybody comes back to the PDP regardless of what has been happening over the days or weeks. People are defecting to APC or whatever, it is not so totally in Ogun State. Most PDP members in Ogun State are still steadfast and loyal to the party.

“I make bold to tell you that all PDP members are still there, about 90 to 95 per cent are still there and we are ready to move, God helping us to make sure that our candidate emerges as governor in 2015.

“We dissociate ourselves from the Abeokuta meeting. We’ll remain in the PDP and we are ready to give the new national chairman all the support he requires. We commend his efforts at re-organising and re-invigorating the party. We also support his re-conciliation exercise and harmonisation, especially in the South-West and particularly in Ogun State.”