Date: 2017-08-19

Scores of youths under the aegis of Concerned Kwara Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youths in Ilorin at the weekend demanded the restoration of the Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo led executive of the state chapter of the party, which was disbanded at its national convention.

The angry youths alleged that the dissolution of the executive smirks of suspicion and under-hand dealings between Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee of the PDP and certain politicians to weaken opposition in Kwara.

Led by the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Mr Oluwafemi Yusuf, the youths threatened to lead what they called "a 1000-man march" to the National Secretariat of the PDP in Abuja if their demand was not met.

The Herald On Sunday recalls that the PDP, at its non-elective convention held last Saturday, announced the dissolution of the executives of some state chapters of the party Kwara inclusive on the ground that the congress that brought the affected executives in were not properly conducted leading to the factionalization of the party.

Prior to the dissolution of the executive of the party in Kwara, both Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo and Sunday Fagbemi battled for the control of the leadership of the party with their two groups.

But the aggrieved youths insisted that the dissolution was in bad faith and asked the national leadership of the PDP to reverse its decision, warning that there was no justification for such.

They said the state congress, which re-elected Oyedepo in May 10, 2016 was successfully conducted in the presence of delegation from the National Secretariat of the party, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agents in line with electoral law.

Insisting that the dissolution was unwarranted, the youths informed that Fagbemi, one of the chairmanship contestants willingly announced his withdrawal from the race in the presence of the delegates and observers.

"We the concerned Kwara PDP Youths received the news of dissolution of Kwara State PDP Exco led by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo with great shock and bemusement because there was no justification for such dissolution.

"We recollect that on the 10th of May, 2016, a Congress was successfully conducted as directed by the national secretariat of our party at Stella Obasanjo Multipurpose Hall, Ilorin, under the supervision of congress committee sent by the National Secretariat and watchful eyes of INEC, Police, DSS and NSCDC as stipulated by the electoral act. All the accredited delegates were equally present as well as all the contestants i. e Fagbemi and Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo.

"At around 8pm when the voting was about commencing, Sunday Fagbemi willingly walked to the congress chairman to announce his withdrawal from the chairmanship race in the presence of all the delegates and observers. Thereafter, the process of the congress was completed and Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo was declared winner and returned unopposed.

"We hope the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi is not doing the bidding of certain politicians with this action?

"At this junction, we want to sound a note of warning to our National Secretariat that they should stop denying the good people of Kwara State their deserved freedom from what we are presently in. If they want to do business, it should not be at detriment of common man in the state.

"We advice the Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee to come down to Kwara and do a covert investigation about what Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo led Exco is doing with our party before making any decision.

"The national secretariat should always have it in mind that in all the 36 states in the country, Kwara is in a peculiar situation. What the people of kwara want is freedom. If they can not help achieve this, they should not scuttle our chance.

"On this note, we are equivocally demanding from the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi to reverse the dissolution of Kwara PDP led by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo. If truly the slogan of our party is "power to the people" then the people of Kwara are demanding for Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, failure of which we will lead a 1000-man march to Abuja to press home our demand.

"Akogun is the one we know, Akogun is the one we chose, Akogun is the one we elected. Give us back our Akogun", the aggrieved youths said.