Date: 2014-06-23

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Professor Oba AbdulRaheem, has declared his intension to contest the state’s gubernatorial election under platform of the PDP in 2015, National Pilot can report.

Oba, who is the Chairman, Federal Character Commission (FEC), Abuja, had in 2011 indicated interest to vie for the state’s governorship seat but stepped down for the incumbent governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

Resultantly, he served as the Director-General of the Ahmed’s campaign organization, while the Special Adviser to the President on the National Assembly Matters, Senator Sulyman Makanjuola Ajadi, served as his deputy.  

His declaration followed similar ones by Simeon Ajibola, a Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly and Dele Belgore, a former governorship candidate, who both reportedly launched their bids with a meeting in Ekiti Local Government area of the state among party supporters and the launch of the Kwara South branch of the Orange group respectively.

National Pilot gathered that Oba’s declaration, which was held at Kutu Chambers, opposite the University of Ilorin Mini Campus, Adewole Ilorin, was attended by his supporters.

Those in attendance at the meeting include, Dr. AbdulMumin Katibi; Dr. Sheu Adaramaja of the University of Ilorin; Dr. Amasa Kutu, among others.

Oba, who is the leader of Freedom Group, a faction in the state’s PDP, had rechristened the chamber, where he declared similar intention in 2011 as ‘Freedom House’’.

At the end of the meeting, which started around 3:00pm and lasted about three hours, Oba inaugurated committees that will serve as pillars of his campaign structures to actualise his governorship ambition in the state.

Some of the committees, a source disclosed, which included Contact and Mobilisation; Protocol, Security, amongst others, comprised about 20 party and freedom group’s supporters each.