The state congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that held on 15th and 16th of April, 2014, may have come and gone but the dust the exercise raised may take a while to settle.

Aspirants to political offices sought to enhance their electoral chances by taking control of the party structure as it is generally believed that whoever is able to install his or her loyalists as state executive committee members would be favoured to win party nomination in the gubernatorial primary election.

Therefore, some ambitious persons and their supporters put everything in the congress to ensure victory. Among the gladiators are former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Dele Belgore, Senator Simeon Ajibola representing Kwara South, Chairman of Federal Character Commission, Professor Oba Abdulraheem, daughter of late political kingmaker - Dr Olusola Saraki; Senator Gbemisola Rukayyat Saraki, special adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Sulaimon Ajadi, Hajia Muina Shagaya and chairman of Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Alhaji Isa Bio Ibrahim.

The inauguration of the 29-man executive committee marked the end of the Hon Solomon Edojah-led caretaker leadership of PDP in the state. Unexpectedly, this inauguration has left the party in sharp division.

In view of the result declared by Congress Committee Chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade and emergence of Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo - hitherto critic of Saraki political dynasty, as chairman of PDP in Kwara State, Senator Gbemisola Rukayyat Saraki has emerged the new leader of PDP in Kwara State. Other elected executive members are deputy chairman, Musa Kallah Umar, vice chairman (South), Gbenle Adeyemi, vice chairman (North), Sunday Oyebiyi, vice chairman (Central), Salman Mustapha, Razaq Hassan as secretary, Nimota Oba Sulaiman as woman leader, Jimoh Jibril as organising secretary, Segun Olawoyin as youth leader, Rex Olawoye as publicity secretary, Hassan Adebayo as treasurer and other members.

The state congress has a fair share of crises and controversies. The Freedom group, Bola Shagaya group and Prof Oba Abdulraheem group have rejected the congress result, alleging that the exercise was marred by glaring irregularities and full of discrepancies. The group wondered why Hon. Gabriel Olatunji, who contested to be vice chairman, Kwara North senatorial district, was scored zero, even when the candidate voted for himself and had many supporters who voted for him at the Congress. This question and some other questions are still unanswered. Though, the new chairman of PDP, Barr. Oyedepo has promised to unite all the warring factions with a view to building a strong party, only time can tell if this promise will become reality or remain a promise.

The outcome of the state congress and emergence of Senator Gbemisola Saraki as PDP Leader, may have finally shut down the gubernatorial ambition of the Chairman of Federal Character Commission, Professor Oba Abdulraheem. Prof. Oba has his billboards erected in almost all local government in Kwara State. Though, he has been praised in some quarters for using his office to provide jobs for some people but his acceptability is majorly in Ilorin. Other parts of Kwara see him as a core Ilorin man that can do everything for Ilorin at their detriment.

With the arrangement in the PDP today, it may be difficult for Hajia Bola Shagaya to install her son, Sherif, as PDP candidate for Asa West federal constituency election in 2015. Her perceived closeness to First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan hardly reflected in the outcome of PDP state congress. Business is not Politics. And she must have started learning.

Former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Dele Belgore is now a member of the PDP faction led by Senator Gbemisola Saraki and generally believed to have presented joint candidates with Senator Saraki at the PDP state congress. The gubernatorial ambition of Mr Belgore is said to be raising tension in the faction, as the Leader, Senator Gbemisola Saraki will not shy away from making another attempt to govern the state. How Mr Belgore will survive politically in this faction with a more experienced and influential, Senator Saraki is still unclear. This tension has continued to fuel the alleged plan by Mr Belgore to defect to the Labour Party(LP). Time will tell how this intrigue will play out.

Analysis of the outcome of the PDP state congress reveals an interesting scenario which political watchers say is a precursor to what to expect, particularly in the party primary elections and 2015 elections. The opposition PDP needs to double its efforts in the countdown to 2015 elections to pose a threat to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The APC is solidly on ground in Kwara State with its members in virtually all political offices in the state. Will the opposition PDP really be a threat to the ruling APC? You may need to wait till February, 2015.