The defection of former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with other members of the new PDP perhaps may have changed the face of Kwara politics permanently.

On the heels of Saraki’s defection was the decision of the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, two senators, all members of the House of Representatives–all PDP members (except one) in the state House of Assembly, the 18 local government chairmen and over a 100 councillors in the state–to join APC in solidarity with the former governor who currently represents Kwara Central in the Senate.

While the Kwara PDP still boasts of prominent stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Prof. Abdulrahman Oba; former Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Bio; Senator representing Kwara South, Simeon Ajibola, and Senator Gbemi Saraki, Mr. Dele Belgore, there are still lingering doubts in the minds of many people in the state as to whether the PDP structure can dislodge the formidable Bukola Saraki machinery in the battle for the 2015 governorship race.

PDP’s major handicap, according to sources, is the seeming lack of unity among its leaders to forge a common front ahead of the 2015 polls.

Unlike in the APC where the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki is indisputable, the scenario in the PDP appears rather complicated.

The recent state congress in the Kwara State PDP, rather than become a soothing balm to address the internal wrangling within its rank and file, may just be the beginning of the end of the party in the state.

After weeks of political maneuverings and tussle for leadership, a new 33-member executive committee to run the party’s affairs for the next four years was elected a few weeks ago.

The exit of Senator Bukola Saraki and his supporters created a big vacuum in the party, which was temporarily filled by the leadership of the Edo State-born caretaker committee chairman, Solomon Edoja.

The congress, which was held under the supervision of a 5-man Congress Committee led by Senator Barnabas Gemade, was the climax of intense power play amongst various factions who were determined to install their loyalists in key party offices, especially as party Chairman and Secretary.

Prior to the state congress, several meetings were held across the state where stakeholders reviewed the list of candidates and assessed their chances.

The contest also pitched old members of the party against those who defected from other parties, especially from the APC and the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Right from the ward to local government congresses, top party shot including those allegedly eyeing the governorship seat in 2015, had engaged in intense lobbying and in-fighting to impose ‘their own’ people as executives at various levels.

Those listed in the power play seeking to influence the composition of the new state executive committee include, among others, Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Belgore, Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola and Senator Suleiman Ajadi and an oil magnate, Hajia Muina Bola Shagaya. And at the end of the contest, Saraki’s loyalists reportedly emerged chairmen in 14 of the 16 local government areas in the state.

The Nation gathered that on the eve of the congress, there were three main groups namely; the Kwara South/Kwara North Alliance, The Gbemi Saraki/Abdulrahman Abdulrazak Group/Dele Belgore, the Professor Oba/Col. Lawal Group and the emerging Bola Shagaya group.

The Kwara South group paraded the likes of Chief Joel Ogundeji (a former deputy governor), Chief Samuel Adedayo, Deacon John Dara and Senator Suleiman Makanjuola Ajadi as their arrow heads. They demanded for the chairmanship to be zoned to the South senatorial zone with the hope of leveraging on it to get the gubernatorial ticket.

In order to ensure a hitch-free election, most of the candidates were prevailed upon to step down after stakeholders agreed to zone the chairmanship to Kwara South. Out of the eight candidates vying for the position, five stepped down to allow for the zoning arrangement to work

Those left in the race included Iyiola Oyedepo, who is a former member of the state House of Assembly; State Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Sunday Fagbemi, and Mr. Bode Ojomu. They, however, failed to agree on a consensus.

While Belgore was rooting for Oyedepo, Saraki supported Fagbemi. The two contestants hail from Kwara South. At the end, Fagbemi was prevailed upon to step down for Oyedepo.

Announcing the results, Gemade, who is a former National Chairman of the PDP, declared Oyedepo winner after polling 397 votes to defeat Ojomu, his closest rival who secured 225 votes, while Alhaji Maryam Al-Hassam came a distant third with 19 votes.

As it is, the new executive is currently dominated by loyalists of Saraki, Belgore and Abdulrazak, a development that has not gone done with the ‘old members’ of the party including Senator Ajibola, Oba, Bio, amongst others.

Now that the congress is over, the concern of some stakeholders within the party is whether the unity which it laboured to achieve with the recent unity rally attended by the president will be sustained.

And in what seems to be an attempt to mend the cracked fence, Saraki reportedly paid a surprise visit to Abdulraheem at his private residence in Ilorin a few days after the congress. The outcome of the meeting was yet to be made public. Sources however, disclosed that the meeting was premised on the need for the PDP to forge ahead in unity and cohesion after the conclusion of the party’s congresses.

Saraki, who reportedly arrived Abdulraheem’s residence  in the company of a modest convoy, told her host she was at his  home in appreciation of his doggedness during the exercise and to also  urge him to ensure that the party is kept intact, irrespective of the outcome of the congress.

Leading governorship hopeful

In the APC, there are strong indications that barring any last minute surprises, the incumbent governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, will be backed by his godfather, Senator Bukola Saraki, to run for a second term in 2015.

But in the PDP, the battle will be a straight fight between Gbemi Saraki and Dele Belgore. This is, however not ruling out the likes of Oba, who was once allegedly the anointed candidate of the presidency until the defection of Gbemi Saraki and Belgore changed the game plan.

The Nation learnt that the presidency and the national headquarters of the party have allegedly resolved to zone the party’s governorship ticket to Kwara Central, which controls 55 percent of the voting population. The incumbent governor hails from Kwara South.

But it remains unclear who among Saraki and Belgore will step down for each other for the party’s governorship ticket.

The way out, according to a source, is that Belgore may pick the governorship ticket, while Saraki will run for the Kwara Central senatorial seat.

“Kwara State is dominated by Muslims and it will be foolhardy for the PDP to pick a woman as its governorship candidate,” a source clarifies.