Unending search for harmony in Kwara politics 

As the 2023 general elections draw near, the intrigues around the electioneering processes across party lines are getting intense and multifaceted. And Kwara state is a case in the study as the re-election bid of Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazak may meet a major obstacle in a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, which had of late defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

This may sound strange to an average observer of the state’s political trends, especially when the opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is still considered the stiffest hurdle to cross for ruling parties in many states of the federation. But the PDP in Kwara appears far from that status in reality primarily because the pivotal figure in the party, Dr Bukola Saraki seems too busy with his presidential ambition than strategising for victory on the home front.

Though his diehard aides disagree with this assertion, some of Saraki’s more down-to-earth supporters, who preferred anonymity, expressed displeasure with the development, especially with his alleged low mobilisation drive with cash.

While it appears that there has been a perfect arrangement and conclusion of consensus arrangement among PDP aspirants into various elective positions ahead of the party’s congress, its albatross may be in the area of matching the ruling party in terms of spending power ahead of the electoral contests.

Publicity Secretary of the state PDP, Tunji Morohunfoye debunked the claims of sudden frugality of Saraki with his supporters. Morohunfoye, a former Commissioner for Information in the state, told The Guardian in Ilorin that the political icon had, since finishing his term as the Senate President, established a veritable channel of money distribution to confirmed persons in need of financial support.

Besides, he lauded Saraki for his meticulous handling of issues relating to the primary elections. According to him, only two positions would be contested in the primary election as all other elective positions had been resolved via a consensus arrangement spearheaded by the leader.

The two positions to be contested are those of the governorship and two House of Representatives slots from Kwara Central Senatorial District of the state. It would be a keen race among three governorship aspirants, namely; Ahman Pategi, Professor Issa Gana Issa and Abdullahi Yaman. They all hail from Pategi, Kwara North axis of the state.

Morohunfoye, a prince of Ira, in Oyun local council of Kwara expressed the belief that with PDP’s structural formations and “bad governance of the incumbent,” the apple cart is certain to turn in PDP’s favour during the much-touted polls.  

Speaking on his defection from APC to SDP, a House of Assembly member, representing Offa/Eesa/Igbodun constituency of the state, Saheed Popoola said the defection was to protest the alleged poor performance in the office of the incumbent governor. He averred that Governor AbdulRazak allegedly veered off the track of the principle of ‘O To Ge’ movement that brought him to power. The thrust of the allegation as his running of party affairs to the exclusion of other crusaders of the movement.

But Popoola’s expectation at the SDP, alongside some of his colleagues who defected with him, may have become shaky with Wednesday’s invasion of the secretariat of the party in Ilorin by yet to be apprehended political thugs during a press briefing.

The latest development overtly indicates that the SDP in Kwara is polarised. Political thugs numbering about 15 invaded the ‘Labour House,’ Ilorin venue of the press conference, convened by a faction of the Kwara chapter of SDP and descended heavily on the conveners. Factional chairman of SDP in Ifelodun local council, Elder James Olajide was beaten to a pulp. His clothes were torn, his cap seized and he was dragged on the floor by the thugs for about five minutes.

The invading kept shouting at the man, “Baba Ifelodun, why did you take money from AA to disrupt our party.”

It would be recalled that earlier on Tuesday, the publicity secretary of a faction of the SDP, Mr Kareem Lekan Akanbi had announced the suspension of eight members from the party, signalling a leadership crisis.

The conveners of Wednesday’s press conference were among the people that were suspended for alleged anti-party activities. And before the disruption of the conference at the Labour House, a factional chairman of the SDP, Ibrahim Mabolaje Yahaya, had alleged plans by some former members of the APC loyal to the minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who recently joined the party, to hijack it from the pioneer executive.

“It is no longer news that a faction of the APC in Kwara state (i.e the APC loyal faction) formally applied to join our party, the SDP vide a letter to SDP national secretariat, dated March 9, 2022. The secretariat acknowledged the APC loyal letter and their intention to join the SDP with a promise to work on a harmonisation arrangement on how their interests will be accommodated.

“While the original SDP members in Kwara state under my leadership were waiting for further directives from the national secretariat, we were shocked to hear about a purported state congress of Kwara SDP held on 26 April 2022, which was stage-managed by the Kwara APC Loyal group in collaboration with some officials of SDP national secretariat. 

“The sole aim of the kangaroo state congress of SDP on 26th April 2022 was to hijack the party (SDP) from the original members who had worked tirelessly to bring the party to its enviable position in the state. The said congress was held in contravention of the SDP constitution. Also, the original members of Kwara SDP were denied participation in the said congress contrary to relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

“I wish to inform this gathering that we have protested the purported state congress of Kwara SDP held on April 26, 2022, at the Kwara APC Loyal secretariat to the national secretariat. We have instructed our lawyers to challenge in court the legality of the purported state congress,” he said.

In spite of the red flag signal at the local SDP, Popoola insisted that the party would hold the ace during next year elections, hinting that it may eventually fuse with the PDP at the eleventh hour to upstage the incumbent governor.

“There is virtually no political party today without one form of rancour or the other. But the rancour in the SDP is inconsequential when compared to what made us quit the APC. Ideological issues made us leave the APC. But at the SDP, it is just a minor rift that will be amicably resolved soon. But where we fail to reach a compromise, which I don’t think is possible, we will give tactical support to the PDP during the elections to at least rescue our state from the hands of a one-man dictator,” he said.

However, for the state APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, two things would make the party stand out in the forthcoming general elections: good performance in office by Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazak and feeble opposition groups in the state.

Fagbemi told The Guardian that “only those pretending to be blind” would not see phenomenal development projects carried out within a space of three years in office by the Governor. 

Besides, he said the party continues “on daily basis to receive decampees from feeble groups hiding under the guise of political parties all over the state. Kwarans have seen the difference and they will no longer go back to Egypt for help.

“As we speak, there is no single local council in Kwara that had not tasted of the good works of Governor Abdul Razak in terms of project implementation. It is not a government of just the state capital. I stand to be controverted by any objective critic. All his projects are spread across the entire 17 councils. This is unprecedented in the modern political history of our dear state.”

As things stand, the ruling APC is basking in the euphoria of dutiful implementations of projects, the PDP is relying on a good political structure while SDP presents itself as a credible alternative to Kwarans.