The coming of Alhaji Abubakar  Kawu Bareje led aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) popularly known as the New PDP to All Progressive Congress (APC) has ushered in a new vista in Kwara state. With Dr Bukola Saraki, the immediate past governor of Kwara State in the new APC,  the  impression is that the late Dr Olusola Saraki’s structure has now fussed with the progressive party.

However, Senator Rukayyat Gbemisola Saraki, who was anointed by the late Waziri of Ilorin and some old members of PDP in Kwara state has challenged the claim of Dr Bukola Saraki that the older Saraki’s political structure has fussed with the APC.

Gbemisola’s group is claiming to be in charge of the old PDP, including Alhaji L.A.K Jimoh, Hon Bio Ibrahim, who was former Speaker House of Assembly and Minister of Sports. Already, Saraki’s camp has removed the PDP flags from the secretariat along Nupe road where all previous State Chairmen of PDP were hanged on the wall. Saraki’s group which claimed to be the financier of the secretariat insisted that it was Dr Bukola Saraki who usually pays the rent for the secretariat and other logistics requirements.

Already, Saraki has installed all his men as Chairmen of 16 Local government areas of Kwara state as well as Councillors. Besides, the three merged opposition parties in the state, ACN, CPC, ANPP also had their Secretariats at different locations. They are also struggling to sustain their position as landlords of APC.

Historically, the Late Dr Olusola Saraki, had worked against ruling party in Kwara State but always maintained good political relationship with whoever is President at the national level. When late Political icon defected from All Progressive Party (APP), to enthrone his son, Bukola Saraki as governor against late Muhammed Lawal, he didn’t fight Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and National leaders of APP and PDP.

Briefing Journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, the defected State Chairman of nPDP in Kwara State, Hon Ishola Balogun-Fulani assured that members of APC in the state would be carried along in the scheme of things in the state.

“ As you might have heard,  the new PDP has merged into APC. As you know, we in Kwara state have leaders. Our leader are Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. They are our leaders. According to tradition, we don’t have any other party that could be forced on us.

  “ It is where our leaders go that we are going, we are Sarakites and we have our structure. Anywhere he moves to, we move there en-masse. All the executives of the wards, local governments and the state would move en-masse to the party that our leader said they have merged with.

 “For the avoidance of doubt, I will want you to know that this secretariat where you see the logo of PDP and so on, is being paid for by our leaders. It is not being paid by the PDP. So nobody can come here and say they are taking over because this building does not belong to PDP. It belongs to our leaders and the rent paid on the property is in my name, not in the name of PDP. So this building will remain for the party we are about to join. Presently nobody can come and eject us out of this building because it does not belong to PDP.

“After we have been briefed properly, we are going to change all the logos, the flag and everything would bear the APC that our leaders have merged with. You can see outside that all our members are here to pay solidarity visit to us. That is to say that they are happy with the development that our leaders have merged into APC. Those outside are from all the local governments of the state.     

“They have given us encouragement that if we go to APC as it has been planned, we are not going to regret. We have spoken the mind of everybody in Kwara state especially those in PDP. Like I told you, we are Sarakites and if our leader says he is no more in PDP, that is the end of PDP in Kwara State and it is dead. I will tell you that we believe what our leaders have done and we are APC as at now. PDP is dead in Kwara state.”

But a faction of PDP, in a statement signed by Dr Abdulsalam A.K Abdulsalam, Kwara Central, Hon. Iliasu Ibrahim, Kwara North and Chief Lanre Ogundeji, Kwara South declared their support for Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of PDP.

The new group, which claimed to be loyalists of Tukur’s led PDP in the state, maintained that the exit of Saraki was a welcome development and blessing to people and the party.

In the statement, the trio of Abdulsalam, Ibrahim and Ogundeji said “it is on record that Sen. Bukola Saraki all along remained the single most destabilising factor in the crisis that eventually pushed them out of our great party, the PDP.

  “The entire state is today agog with exit of somebody who is regarded as enemy of the people and democracy.

  “We therefore wish to assure our National Chairman,  Alhaji(Dr) Bamanga Tukur and the entire Leadership of our great party of our unalloyed loyalty and support as he continues to pilot the affairs of the party, the Peoples Democratic Party. As we journey towards 2015, we wish to state categorically that the exit of the hypocrites will not affect the fortunes, progress and prosperity of our great party, PDP in Kwara State.”

  In his reaction, a former governorship aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Kwara State, Hon Basir Omolaja Bolarinwa who had served as members of House of Representatives under defunct Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) in Lagos state, described the declaration of rebel group of PDP, led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as a welcome development.

 “It is welcome development. This is a new vista in political engineering in modern Nigeria. Those who have keenly followed our political evolution we know that some leaders of the time past have attempted a pan-Nigeria party which unfortunately never saw the light of day.

 “The eventual merger of the  nPDP with the APC is a result of several meetings and consultations with the leadership of our party. We are sure the party leadership will take care of the original members of the APC.”

Similarly, a Chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kwara State,Alhaji Sulyman Buhari who was State Chairman of CPC, said that there would be no panic in the party if the aggrieved  PDP governors  including Dr Bukola Saraki join the party in the state.

Buhari in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Ilorin said G7 group members in the state would have to subject themselves to leadership of APC in the state. The APC chieftain said the party structure could not be handed over just like that to Saraki, stressing that”they have to come to the state and talk to the leadership of APC.

  “It is not going to be like we handed over the party to one man, no, that can’t happen. What they did now was at national level. They have to come to Kwara state and talk to us.”

Another reliable source who didn’t want his name in prints said in a telephone interview with our correspondent that the APC leaders in Kwara State are waiting for G7 members, adding that they can’t hijack the party. The source, who is close to one of the Chieftains of APC in the state Lagos State chapter noted that there should be no fear because the newcomers have to subject themselves to rules of APC in the state stressing that “we are expecting them”.