Date: 2017-11-13

There seems to be fresh dimension to the crisis rocking the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Prince Sunday Fagbemi faction of the party and the Iyiola Oyedepo led wing disagreed over the outcome of the last ward congress of the party held in Ilorin.

Fagbemi, weekend in a Press statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Gani Alawo and made available to Pilot Politics had said his group won nine wards out of eleven contested in the state.

He accused Oyedepo of lying about the outcome of the congress held last week.

Reports had claimed Oyedepo had reportedly said his faction won over eight councils and thanked the delegates for believing in their cause.

But Fagbemi berated Oyedepo for misleading the public by making a falsehood announcement concerning the outcome of the congress.

According to Alawo, Oyedepo lacks the power to announce who wins or lose in an election, adding that only the party leadership is vested with such mandate.

Part of the statement read: "Our attention has been drawn to falsehood being peddled by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo on the outcome of the last Saturday local government congress of our great party, the PDP in the state.

"While we don't intend to join issue with Oyedepo, we want to point out that announcement of the outcome of such congresses is the sole responsibility of the caretaker committee of the party.

"However, we are constraint to clarify that out of the results of the eleven local governments that have been decided, Prince Sunday Fagbemi's group won nine.

"We, therefore, urge our teeming supporters and the general public to discountenance Oyedepo's tissues of lies concerning the outcome of the local government congress but wait patiently for the official announcement of the results by the caretaker committee" the statement stated. Recall that the party has been swimming in crisis since its last botched 2015 congress in the state that produced two factional chairmen.

Both groups were claiming to be authentic chairman of the party till few months ago when the national caretaker committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi ordered the dissolution of the Kwara state executives.

The dissolution has however necessitated the constitution of the caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the party till all its executives are elected.

Meanwhile, Oyedepo has announced his interest to contest for the embattled seat again and pleaded with the delegate to entrust him with their vote again.

In a document announcing his intention, the embattled former chairman promised to improve on the fortunes of the party.

"If you allow me to continue to serve, I will not only ensure the continuity of all the programmes established, I certainly will improve on them and do much more. I will institute retail politics that will truly make the party to be for the members and not for some members.

"I therefore solicit for your vote and indeed the vote of all delegates to the 2017 State Congress. Vote for me because good wonders await the People of Kwara from my fair, thorough and compassionate leadership. "ARA NBE TI MOFE DA", he added