POLITICS in Kwara State has started assuming a new dimension, as the chairman of the Northern Union (NU), Dr Olusola Saraki, led his loyalists to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to embrace the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), on Sunday.

Saraki's defection followed a rally he organised in Ilorin, Kwara State capital on Sunday and which was attended by thousands of his supporters, including former local government council chairmen, former senators and House of Representatives members.

Saraki's new party has the squirrel as its logo, with "Loyalty, Service and Unity" as its slogan.

The defection of Saraki into ACPN is, therefore, an indication of a crack in the hegemony of the family, as the first son, Bukola, currently the governor of the state, held on to the PDP in Kwara.

The choice of ACPN by Saraki, according to findings, was strategic, since the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had made efforts to have him join them.

Saraki is to use ACPN to reach out to all the existing political parties in Kwara to forge a coalition, with sufficient strength to dislodge PDP in the state.

The political differences between Saraki and his son had been the crux of the resolve by the NU chairman to leave PDP.

Before defecting from the PDP, Saraki had vowed to neutralise the party to zero level, as he had set machinery in motion to mop up the registration cards of the PDP in Kwara.

In the past few days, loyalists, friends and supporters of the PDP chieftain had been submitting their PDP membership cards to identify with his new political cause, and, at the last count, about 25 Ghana-must-go bags, filled with PDP membership cards, were said to have been stocked for destruction.

Investigations revealed that the resolve by the senior Saraki to enthrone Senator Gbemisola as the next governor of Kwara in the governorship election was the reason he decided to dump PDP, since the party was said not be disposed to allowing her to obtain the ticket.

Both the current governor and Senator Gbemi-sola had not been aligning politically, a development that had been impacting negatively on the governorship aspiration of the senator, as findings revealed that the state governor had already aligned with one of the aspirants.

Saraki, who once attempted to be president in the aborted Third Republic, according to reports, had told his supporters to prepare to prove a point at the next governorship poll, scheduled for April.

With the latest development in the state, the fate of the PDP is hanging in the balance, since more PDP members are said to have defected along with Saraki.

Also, it was revealed that Senator Gbemisola is the governorship candidate of the party for general election.

Addressing his supporters at the Ile-Arugbo, Iloffa, GRA, Ilorin, Saraki said some forces in the state PDP had started to cause confusion and disunity among its members for selfish reasons.   

He added that he had no problem with his son, Bukola, who is the governor of the state, adding that he had said it long time ago that Gbemisola would take over from him after his eight-year tenure, to which he agreed.

Saraki said both Bukola and Gbemisola were of the same mother.  

The Kwara political icon said he was never a card-carrying member of PDP but had since 2003 remained the major pillar behind the party in the state.

"We now have a PDP that lacks cohesion, focus, direction and bereft of ideas on how to carry supporters along and win elections," he said.

He added that the situation was so bad to the extent that most decisions of the party were based on sentiments, instead of having recourse to party guidelines and democratic norms.

The ceremony was witnessed by eminent people from and outside the state, including Gbemisola, the governorship candidate of ACPN.