The PDP recently held a political rally in Ilorin, Kwara state to welcome defectors and returnees into the party by President Goodluck Jonathan. SAMUEL OGIDAN reports
With out doubt, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) is facing a dwindling fortune in Kwara state, as it was one of those states the once upon Africa’s largest party lost to the crisis which engulfed the PDP. In its aftermath, the state which used to be one of the party’s torch bearers was lost to the All Progressives Congress(APC).
Leading the pack of defectors were former governor of the state, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his successor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, the one-time acting national chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, and all the National Assembly members from the state except Senator Sule Simon Ajibola, representing Kwara South Senatorial District. At the state House of Assembly, only two of the 24-member stuck to PDP.
While the aforementioned moved over to APC with retinue of their supporters, some other party faithful chose to stay put to demonstrate their loyalty and faithfulness to the PDP. These include Chairman, Federal Character Commission(FCC)Professor Suhaib Oba Abdulraheem, John Dara, Senator Suleiman Ajadi, the Presidential Liaison Officer and former Minister of Sports, Isa Bio Ibrahim who also served as speaker of the state House of Assembly. And to fill the gap created by the defectors, the PDP also won some political converts including Senator Rukayat Gbemisola Saraki, younger sister of former governor, erstwhile chairman of APC in the state, Rev. Bunmi Osasona and the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Dele Belgore (SAN). The rest are Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, former governorship candidate in Congress for Progressive Change(CPC), son of the former Kwara state governor, Alhaji Hakeem Lawal and a senatorial candidate of the defunct CPC, Princess Bilkisu Gambari.
Gbemi’s defection may have left a crack in the political dynasty of the former strongman of Kwara politics, the late Oloye Olusola Saraki. Analysts are of the view that the crack may portend danger to the dynasty that has held the Kwara for a long while.
And to embolden the old members and welcome the new ones, President Goodluck Jonathan and the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu penultimate Monday, led PDP stakeholders and leadership to the state ahead of the highly contentious 2015 poll.
That the state stood still for the delegates led by the President to the state was an understatement because the force with which they stormed the state could be likened to a political tsunami that might break the ranks of the Saraki dynasty. Beside, the team believed the state was desirous of ‘freedom and change.’
This could be the reason the crowd greeted every speech made by the party leadership with a thunderous “freedom Kwara.” For the security agents, it was hectic controlling the surging and teeming crowd at the Metropolitan Square, Ilorin,venue of the rally.
Those who spoke at the rally, including the chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum and governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, David Mark, Vice President, Namadi Sambo, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Tony Anenih, Mu’azu as well as President Jonathan, noted that Kwara is PDP state, stressing the development in the state was done by the PDP.
Receiving the defectors into the party’s fold, President Jonathan expressed delight at the tumultuous crowd, adding that “by this, there is no doubt that Kwara state is PDP.”
According to him, the number of PDP supporters at the rally has stunned book makers “and this shows clearly that there is no APC in Kwara”
He described Mua’zu, the PDP national chairman as “a game-changer” whose experience has changed the party’s fortune. The President added that the secret behind the return of top politicians who had dumped the party was because “it is only PDP among all the political parties that gives people freedom.”
In his remark, the party’s national chairman boasted that what is happening in PDP was payback for APC whom he had warned “were teaching us how to poach.”
Insisting that PDP remains the best choice, the PDP boss noted that the party remains the only party that practices true democratic tenets irrespective of tribal, religious, age and other affiliations.
He reminded Kwara people how President Jonathan provided innumerable dividends of democracy in all facets including agriculture, transportation, education and aviation.
“Those of you who decided to switch party, I want to tell you that the people of Kwara state have decided that today is their day of freedom, therefore, no shaking. Remember, I told APC that they have been poaching and poaching our members and I told them I am a good student and so, we have started doing what they taught us,” Mua’zu boasted.
In their separate remarks, both Chief Anenih and Governor Akpabio explained that the return of former members was a clear demonstration that Kwara people have regained their freedom.
“PDP is very happy with you. What you have done today is a great liberation to Kwara people; Kwara state needs liberation; Kwara state needs a change. The monumental progress you have seen in Kwara were all done by PDP. It was not done by the opposition. You are going to give us another governor in Kwara in 2015,” they stressed.
Akpabio described the defection of former Governor Saraki and his successor as “donating the mandate of Kwara people to the opposition.”
“We have come to tell you that you are not alone, nobody can take or donate your mandate to people who didn’t work for it. We shall take whatever step that is legally possible and even go spiritual by praying to God to liberate Kwara people who as we can see, are anxious to be free and they have liberated themselves,” he stressed.
Also speaking, Senate President, Senator Mark said the turnout was a clear message to the APC whom he claimed noted were clearly jittery, and pleaded with party members to accept Saraki and Ahmed if they return. This remark was welcome with a thunderous rejection by the party supporters.
In similar remarks, the duos of Vice-President Namadi Sambo and the state chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, Hon. Solomon Edojah, eulogised Jonathan’s political strides, especially in the education sector with particular reference to the establishment of Almajiri schools in the north.
Namadi specifically said, “the PDP train in Kwara is already moving and any person who is not joining now maybe too late. Come and join now.”
And to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Ethics, Mrs. Sarah Jubril, the rally was a resurrection day for Kwara, while both Belgore and Gbemi said the state would be liberated from the power that held it captive.
Belgore said: “We have all our supporters here. From this day on 2015 is settled.” Gbemi Saraki said, “PDP is very much alive in Kwara. Our people are ready for change. We deserve support and Kwara is ready for 2015 and the peoples are ready to support PDP.”
Now that the battle line has been drawn, would PDP succeed in bringing down the age long dynasty of the Sarakis and would the party also succeed in recapturing the state?
With Gbemi on the saddle as a major stakeholder in PDP, analysts posit, the political influence of the Sarakis is far from waning.
