Date: 2018-09-04

The All Progressives Congress, APC, can only dream of winning Kwara State in the forthcoming general election but beyond that, the party is going nowhere in the state.

This was the position of former leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who refused to defect to the APC and have emerged as part of the new executive committee of the party in the state under the scheme designed to harmonise old and new members of the party.

However, leaders of the APC in the state have asked the PDP leaders to perish the thought of winning coming elections in the state because "we are solidly on ground."

Led by Alhaji Mohammed Sani Abubakar, the former deputy chairman, who has retained his position under the new scheme, the group at a media briefing, yesterday, in Ilorin, the state capital, commended the leadership now being offered to the party by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

They said their experience with Saraki indicates a commitment to give free hand in the running of the party at the state level as he concentrates on giving the PDP a positive outlook at the national level.

Other old PDP members who retained their position in the party's new executive include Barr. Moses Ibiyemi (Financial Secretary), Alhaji Haliru Dan Tsoho Mahmud (Youth Leader) and Alhaji Mohammed Haliru (Assistant Financial Secretary) as well as Chief Ebun Afolayan.

The group debunked insinuations that Saraki was set to hijack the party from the old members, pointing out that most of the old executives of the party are still holding their positions after the harmonisation, adding that in the Kwara of today, it would be impossible for any meaningful politician to deny his or her link with the Saraki political structure at one point or the other.

Abubakar, who said he participated in the harmonisation process, expressed delight that the template used by the state has now been adopted in other parts of the country.