Date: 2014-12-19

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo and his executive members have disagreed over the status of Senator Simeon Ajibola as the party’s governorship candidate.

Although Oyedepo said only the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party could declare the winners of the congresses, including the governorship primaries, but the party’s executive committee upheld Ajibola’s election. .

Oyedepo insisted that no official result had been released on the primaries.

The party chairman said the state chapter of the PDP lacked the power to recognise candidates except those announced as winners by the NWC.

“In recent times, the mass media and the public have been worried about the outcome of the primaries of our party, which were held between November 29 and December 11,” Oyedepo said in a statement he issued yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital.

He added: “I have, however, restrained myself from issuing out the results of the primaries because it is not my duty to do so. Usually, the people who came from Abuja to conduct the primaries are to report to the national secretariat.

“The result of the election can only be made public after the endorsement of the NWC. The issue of recognising one candidate or the other does not arise, as it is in the powers of the NWC to do so. Those who are hungry to know our candidates should wait a little; the national secretariat will soon make available to the public the winners of the primaries conducted in Kwara State.”

Oyedepo added that “any other contrary message should be regarded as unauthorised”.

But the Assistant Publicity Secretary of PDP in the state, Yusuf Femi, in a statement, said majority of the executive committee members attended the all-important meeting.

The statement reads: “The PDP state executive committee, Kwara State chapter, rose from our extra-ordinary meeting today(December 17) with majority of the members in attendance.

“That the meeting ended, living the executive members stronger and more united. It was resolved in the meeting that the result of the governorship primaries held on December  11, in which Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola was declared winner, is hereby up held.

“We want to reinstate that the state Exco stands firmly behind this decision. The public should, please, discard any rumour or speculation contrary to the stand of our party.

“We praise all our other governorship aspirants who have openly declared and demonstrated their support for Senator S. S. Ajibola who is the People’s choice. We hereby appeal to our teaming supporters to remain calm and supportive of this our noble course.”