THE crisis rocking the Kwara State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, appears to be far from being resolved, as it seems to be getting messier by the day.

Recently, security operatives arrested some leaders of the party following a petition against those perceived to be dissidents by the state chairman, Mr. Kayode Olawepo.

Those arrested according to police sources were; a former Chief Whip of the state House of Assembly, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, Alhaji Hassan Zhoro, Alhaji Ibrahim Magaji, Alhaji Ahmed Ajimoti, Mr. Funso Agaka, Alhaji Mustapha Kobe and Lateef Abioye.

They were picked up by men of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as their names were prominent on the petition. The chairman had accused them of anti-party activities, claiming that they constituted a threat to the peace of the party.

Confirming the arrest, Oyedepo, who is the most prominent of them, noted that they had been released by the police.

In the petition, Olawepo had alleged that Oyedepo and others were members of a group called stakeholders, which the petitioner claimed was illegal within the party structure. He added that members of the group had allegedly done everything they could to destabilize the party.

They were also alleged to have collected unused registration materials from the ACN headquarters to conduct a registration that was not sanctioned by the party.

Furthermore, Olawepo claimed that members of the group also allegedly printed registration materials for the party, while it is only the national headquarters that had the right to do such.

They were also alleged to have illegally dissolved caretaker committees of the party at both local government and ward levels and replaced same with their own men in contravention of the position of the national headquarters.

KCI seek peace
The arrest came just as a group, Kwara Change Initiative,KCI, called on warring factions within the party to sheathe their swords and embrace peace.

KCI Secretary, Comrade Adewale Adefila, argued that those responsible for the current crisis might be working for the ruling party or were being driven by negative ambition.

"We are compelled by the recent developments within the party to prevail on all the warring sides to sheathe their swords. It is an open secret that the skirmishes currently experienced by the party in Kwara Central Senatorial District and in Isin local government areacouncil of Kwara South Senatorial District are traceable to wild ambition,'' he stated.

Meanwhile,during the party's registration exercise, three people alleged to be working for one of the ACN bigwigs were nabbed by security operatives at Ilorin Grammar School for allegedly disrupting the exercise.

They were alleged to have shot sporadically into the air to scare away prospective members and in the process went away with the register supplied each unit by the national office.

Cause of crisis: However, the crisis rocking the party is believed to be the outcome of the leadership tussle between ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and its gubernatorial candidate in the last election, Mr. Dele Belgore.

Observers have argued that Mohammed is preparing to take over the party structure ahead of the 2015 governorship polls..

However the Spokesman to Belgore, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaiye, has denied the claims.

Ajakaiye said, "I can tell you that the party remains very much intact. Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Belgore talk every day on how to move the party forward. But we leave people, as it is typical in politics, to speculate. We are not ruling out the possibility of the PDP sponsoring negative reports for reasons you know too well. They can go as far as spreading rumour of non-existent fracas to cause disaffection. But the party remains intact and the leadership forever cordial."

Don't turn Kwara to battlefield - PDP
Worried by this development, the ruling, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the ACN against turning the state into a battle field. The State Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Mas'ud Adebimpe, said, "it is now more than ever obvious to the good people of the State that the ACN in the Kwara is a party of thugs that does not mean well for the State. Why should a simple democratic process lead to violence and political terrorism. Kwara does not need the distraction that the ACN is trying to foist on it".

The PDP spokesman added that,"as a party that believes and uphold democratic norms, we condemned in its entirety the ACN recent violence in the state being promoted by the gladiators in their quest for 2015 gubernatorial ticket which has now taken ethnic dimension".

Continuing, he said, "the ACN has shown, through the weekend show of shame and for the umpteenth time that it is a party of non-democrats, who are on a wild goose chase."

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