Tension pervaded the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State on Monday over an alleged plan to substitute the name of the governorship candidate of the party in the just-concluded governorship primaries of the party, Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola, with that of another candidate.

However, some members under the umbrella of Freedom Group of the PDP in the state have vowed to reject any move by the national leadership of the party to replace the name of Ajibola as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.

Also on Monday, 10 of the 12 governorship aspirants that participated during the primaries threw their weight behind the candidature of Ajibola.

THISDAY checks revealed that some stakeholders in the PDP in the state have been mounting pressures on the presidency and National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP to substitute the name of Ajibola for alleged non-popularity in the state. It was gathered that, in order to achieve the move, some members of the party at the weekend staged a protest to the state secretariat of the party along Asa Dam Road, Ilorin to express the need for the NWC to replace the name of Ajibola for another perceived popular candidate in the state so as to assist the party to win the state in the 2015 election.

Sources close to the PDP state secretariat in Ilorin yesterday told THISDAY that the development had led the leadership of the party in the state to convene a special meeting on the issue.

The meeting, which was held amid tight security, was said to have deliberated extensively on the conduct of the primaries that produced Ajibola.

Sources said at the meeting, it was the national working committee of the party that will finally determine the fate of Senator Ajibola moreso, it was said that, Ajibola was yet to be given certificate of return of winning the governorship primary of the party.

Contacted yesterday on the development, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Rex Olawoye, who said there was no tension or crisis within the party, nevertheless expressed the fears already expressed being by some stakeholders within the party that the outcome of the primaries would be subject to the final decision of the party's national secretariat.

"We have an executive meeting today to appraise the primaries so that we can take position on issues and you know some hoodlums could come to demonstrate as reaction to the loss by their principal so that's why we asked the police to come and be here to keep them at bay. We need to meet and review things; if there is modification that can come later and if not we go ahead," he explained.

Asked about fears of the possible 'modification' of the primaries, Olawoye said: "When you have a primary like this, the national body still has the final say. You remember when Rotimi Amaechi won the primary but later the party changed the thing but he went to court and won without contesting in the election. This is politics and anything can happen but for anyone to say he doesn't know Ajibola is a lie. He has represented Kwara south for 12 years and he has done well for us and we know him very well."

A statement signed by Tajudeen Kareem, Director of Publicity for the group said, "We wish that, in the interest of democracy, freedom of choice and peace in our party, nothing is done to tamper with Senator Ajibola's mandate. Any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the governorship election supervised by Governor Gabriel Suswam is a recipe for electoral disaster for the PDP in Kwara State."

Also, in another statement issued yesterday by the other 11 governorship aspirants that took part during last Thursday's primaries, "the primaries that produced Senator Ajibola was free, transparent and acceptable to all of us. We therefore accept the emergence of Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola as the Kwara State PDP gubernatorial candidate".

The statement, which was signed by one of the aspirants, John Dara and made available to journalists in Ilorin yesterday declared that, "we resolved to remain united and to do our best for the electoral victory of our governorship candidate and all other candidates of the party in the coming 2015 elections."