Kwara PDP: A divided house

Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is battling with multiple crises. The leadership squabble between  National Caretaker Committee (NCC) Chairman Senator Ahmed Makarfi and factional Chairman Senator Modu Sheriff has polarised the troubled chapter. Two factions, led by Iyiola Oyedepo and Sunday Fagbemi, are struggling for

the soul of the party. Correspondent ADEKUNLE JIMOH reports that the future of the divided platform is bleak.

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the national level is taking its toil on the Kwara State chapter. The party has been polarised into two seemingly irreconcilable groups-the Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheiff factions.

The state congress held last year further polarised the party along Makarfi and Sheriff factions.

The two factions, led by the former chairman of the party, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, and Prince Sunday Fagbemi, conducted parallel congresses at different venues in Ilorin, the state capital.

During the exercise, some members of the party, particularly from Kwara central zone, cried foul, alleging the de-accreditation of their delegates.

The factionalisation has dimmed the hope of a party that neither has any representative in the House of Assembly nor the National Assembly.

Both Prince Fagbemi and Oyedepo are laying claims to the chairmanship. It appears they are not ready for reconciliation.

Fagbemi, former Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), claimed that the congress, which produced him as the chairman, was witnessed by five out of the seven-man national electoral panel from Abuja.

He said the representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies also witnessed the congress, describing the congress of the other faction as mere affirmation.

Fagbemi accused Oyedepo of imposition, intimidation and electoral malpractices, adding that some contestants were barred from the venue of the congress at Stella Obasanjo multipurpose hall, Ilorin.

Fagbemi, who said the congresses at ward, local government and state government levels were manipulated, alleged that nomination forms and result sheets were made available to contestants favoured by Akogun Oyedepo.

The PDP chieftain, who said the development led to a parallel state congress, described himself as the authentic chairman.

He described the congress held by Akogun-led executive as pre-determined, pointing out that the delegates from eight local government areas  of Ilorin West, Ilorin South, Ilorin East, Asa, Moro, Offa, Isin and Ekiti were disallowed from participating in the congress.

He said: “Efforts to correct the anomalies at different levels of the congress were rejected by the electoral panel. I had to force myself into the hall when about 29 contestants were prevented from entering the venue. The scenario led to riotous moment, sporadic gun shots by political thugs, tear gas and discovery of a vehicle laden with dangerous weapons, arms and ammunition at the Stella Obasanjo Hall.”

Fagbemi lamented the turn of events in the Kwara PDP. He said the party was in agony because it has no legislator in the House of Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

He also said efforts were not made to forge unity in the party by the  Oyedepo, adding that his supporters would not fold their arms and allow the party to be destroyed.

Since the parallel congresses, the two factions have been trading tackles.  They have not sheathed their swords.

Oyedepo has claimed that Fagbemi’s group was acting the script of some forces to destabilise the party.

The crisis escalated when the Fagbemi group forced its way into the party’s secretariat along Asa Dam rRad in Ilorin metropolis.

The group has since defied police directive to vacate the office, pending the resolution of the crisis brought to the state command’s attention by the Oyedepo group.

Fagbemi, who lamented that the  Oyedepo faction had dragged him to the police command, following his faction’s take-over of the secretariat few weeks ago, said he would rather fear their wrath of his supporters than hed the police advice to leave the secretariat.

The factional leader, who claimed that he has the support of about 85 percent of  party members, said, owing to the previous disappointment, it would be difficult to trust the police on issues affecting the other faction.

His words: “Police are to defend us. During the last congress of the party held on May 5, 2016, a vehicle was impounded by the police. It was loaded with arms and ammunition. It was not an abandoned vehicle. People were arrested by the police over the discovery, but nothing has been heard about it.

“How are we sure that, if we abide by the police request to vacate this secretariat, the other people won’t go through the back door and collect the key? I cannot be afraid of the police at the expense of our people.

“When we came here, nobody broke any gate. There was no shooting of guns. The security guards opened the gate for us without let or hindrance because they knew we are members of the same party and if you want to enter your house, but you have lost the key, you must, of course, find other means of entering. This secretariat was secured through our collective efforts, but Oyedepo said the police must ask us to vacate while the peace talk is going on. Is that what we want?”

Fagbemi also denied insinuations that his group was being sponsored to destabilise the PDP. He said party members should be wary of the Oyedepo faction whose leadership, he claimed, had their best political accomplishments through the instrumentality of Dr. Olusola Saraki.

“The truth is that we have been tolerating these people because we believe we are members of the same party and we should find a way of resolving our differences. But, they are taking our docility for granted and we are not going to accept that again. Indeed, we are tired of them and by the next two weeks, let’s wait and see what the national leadership will do with them”.

There appears to be no end in sight to the crisis rocking the chapter. The Oyedepo faction has accused Fagbemi’s group of acting the script of some unknown forces to destabilise the party.

Oyedepo alleged that his faction had uncovered how Fagbemi’s group was hired to frustrate the vibrant and constructive opposition platform in the state.

The Publicity Secretary of Oyedepo faction, Otunba Rex Olawoye, said it was shocking that the rival group, which claimed to be the authentic state leadership of the party, was in Ilorin causing chaos while Oyedepo was in Abuja attending the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party.

He said: “In October last year, some miscreants, led by one Sunday Fagbemi, invaded and occupied the PDP Office at Asa-Dam Road, Ilorin.

“It is very amusing that the said group, led by Sunday Fagbemi, is claiming to have taken over the office of the PDP in the state.

“On the said day, the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our great party was in progress in Abuja with Chief Iyiola Oyedepo in attendance as the Chairman of the Kwara PDP. One would then wonder how the self-acclaimed Chairman in person of Sunday Fagbemi would remain in Ilorin, Kwara State causing crisis and chaos at the party office when such an important meeting was going on, the membership of which he is claiming as the state chairman.

“If he truly has a right to occupy the office, is there no legitimate means of doing so? Must a self styled chairman invade the PDP office with hoodlums, molesting the staff members and damaging party property?

“The election to the party offices took place in April, 2016. Is Sunday Fagbemi just waking up from his dream to realise that he won an election? Just the way he did three days after the same election was concluded before he declared himself as the elected chairman. This he did when he had willingly, in the midst of hundreds of our party delegates, stepped down at the election venue when his failure was imminent.

“We appeal to our loyal party members and supporters to remain calm as we have found out that Fagbemi and his group were engaged to frustrate the vibrant and constructive opposition being provided by our party through its viable organs.

Olawoye added: “We plead to the general public to disregard all unwholesome activities of these disgruntled elements as we are undeterred by their actions. We have made formal complaints to all relevant authorities in order to avert breakdown of law and order. It is expected that they would act appropriately on this matter.

“We members of the PDP under Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo remain resolute in our determination to provide very commendable, vibrant and constructive opposition to the ruling party without minding any form of detraction purposely packaged to frustrate and intimidate us through some disgruntled elements among us.”

Analysts have posited that the PDP crisis  at the national and state levels have deprived the party PDP of offering credible, vibrant and critical opposition to the ruling APC in the state.

The crisis,  if it is not nipped in the bud, will weaken the chance, hope and aspirations of the party in future elections in the state.

The APC is waxing stronger in Kwara. This is soley due to the solid political structure of the late Olusola Saraki. The dynasty has been solidified by his son, Senate President Bukola Saraki. A united PDP cannot withstand its onslaught. But, now that the PDP has been weakened by its protracted crisis, it faces a bleak future in the Northcentral state.