Ahead of the general elections in Kwara State, the battle line is drawn between leader of Northern Union (NU), Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki and his son, Governor Bukola Saraki. The former recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) following irreconcilable differences over the governorship ambition of Senator Gbemisola Saraki, writes YEKINI JIMOH.
THE political situation in Kwara State has taken a different dimension with the emergence of a new political party in the state. The Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) was formed by Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki, who is father of the incumbent governor, Dr Bukola Saraki. This was the consequence of intrigues and manipulations that have characterised the political circles in the state ahead of the general election.
The announcement of the defection of the the Waziri of Ilorin from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ACPN came as a surprise to the people of the state.
Before the formal declaration by Dr Saraki, he had been linked to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). It was gathered that the authority of the former Senate Leader in the Second Republic had been challenged at various times in the PDP and he could not bear the affront anymore.
The race to the Government House, Ilorin, thickened as the governor’s father insisted that his son’s successor must be another scion, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, whereas the governor would not allow such to happen in the name of democracy and fairness. He had said that he had no candidate among the PDP governorship aspirants.
Those contesting for the governorship ticket under the umbrella of PDP are Mr AbdulRasaq Atunwa, said to have been brought home from United Kingdom by Dr Olusola Saraki; Alhaji AbdulFatah Ahmed, Mr Bashir Bolarinwa, Chief Theophilus Bamigboye and Professor AbdulRaheem Oba.
Others are Honourable Bio Ibrahim; Mr Sunday Babalola and Senator Suleiman Ajadi. Dr Olusola Saraki had earlier indicated his readiness to quit the PDP when he met with the ANPP National Chairman, Dr. Ogbonaya Onu.
Governor Bukola Saraki
Addressing newsmen at his residence in Ilorin after receiving Onu, Saraki said, “I am out of PDP, the door has been locked and we cannot enter again. By law, when their door is locked, you cannot break it. If you break it, that means I am going against the law.”
According to him, the law of PDP was dry and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
The veteran politician disclosed that he informed President Goodluck Jonathan about the situation of PDP in Kwara State and the president promised to look into it. However, he said he told the president that it was too late and that there was nothing he (Jonathan) could do about it.
“I informed President Goodluck Jonathan about the situation of the party in Kwara State who promised to look into it, but I told him it was too late and there was nothing he could do about it. So, we are leaving PDP. Some of my people have been locked out by some people in the party. The PDP has its law, but they are not following the law,” he said.
He boasted before Onu that he had absolute control of the people of Kwara State, noting that wherever he went, his people would go.
Saraki had on many occasions demonstrated his political wizardry by determining where the pendulum swung in the state, a gift that many stakeholders in the state had acknowledged. He has been chairman of Northern Union (NU), a political pressure group he founded, for many years. Since the Second Republic, the politician has been determining who gets what at the state and national levels. He equally pulled a lot of weight during the military era and was acknowledged to have influenced postings of military governors to Kwara State, among others.
Saraki contributed to the electoral victories of all civilian governors that ruled the state —Alhaji Adamu Atta, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Alhaji Muhammed Shaba Lafiagi, Late Alhaji Muhammed Lawal and the incumbent Governor Saraki, his son.
Ahead of this year’s elections, the godfather of Kwara State politics is set to repeat another feat, but it appears that the mood within the PDP was not favourable to this quest, hence, the birth of ACPN.
In fact, some forces in PDP were said to have resolved to stop at nothing to stop Senator Gbemisola from becoming the next governor of the state.
He captured the situation in PDP concerning the ambition of his daughter by telling his followers in Ilorin that for selfish reasons, some forces in the party had begun to cause confusion and disunity.
According to Saraki, who is also referred to Baba Oloye, there was no problem between him and his son, Governor Saraki. He stressed that there was an agreement between them that Senator Saraki would take over as the next governor.
He alleged that there were cases of intimidation, assault of party members and illegal suspension of ward executive members of the party, saying that these acts had combined to kill the PDP at the grassroots level.
He said that although he was never a card-carrying member of PDP, he had been a supporter since 2003. He accused some unnamed people who, he said, were not involved in building the party of turning themselves into tin gods deciding the fate of genuine members.
“We now have PDP that lacks cohesion, focus and direction; that is bereft of ideas on how to carry supporters along and win elections. Therefore, I and all who believe in me have been forced to take the decision to dump the Kwara PDP and move en masse to Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) which we believe is the best platform to take the state to a greater height,” he said.
Following Saraki’s exit, there have been ripples in the PDP in the state with suspension of some members already recorded. One of the casualties is the Public Relations Officer of the party, Alhaji Isiaka Danmairomo, who spoke on the exit of Saraki, describing it as a good riddance.
Senator Gbemisola Saraki
The party’s chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Ayedun, has apologised to Dr Saraki, while dissociating the PDP from the statement credited to its image maker.
He said the leadership of the party held Dr Saraki in high esteem and as such, could not afford to rubbish him as he was still regarded as “our political father and mentor.”
Some PDP members have dumped their membership cards and pledged support for Saraki. A governorship aspirant on the party’s platform, Chief Bamigboye, had, at a press conference, asked the party to stop pretending that there was no problem in respect of Saraki’s exit. He stressed the need for the members to be united if PDP was to make any impact in this year’s elections.
With this development, analysts are of the view that the coast is clear for Senator Saraki to pick the governorship ticket of ACPN, while aggrieved PDP aspirants and their supporters might, after the conclusion of the governorship primaries scheduled for tomorrow, seek to pursue their political career in Saraki’s new party.
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